Clippers find a lesser foe

MINNEAPOLIS — Rumors of change after a continued slide, perhaps even as drastic as a coaching switch, hung in the crisp fall air.

This also was the big question after yet another loss: Had the team hit rock bottom?

And, no, this is not about the Clippers.

The difference was that Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy was answering that question before they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 107-84, Saturday night at Target Center in front of 10,863.

Minnesota's players were handling those sort of questions after their losing streak hit five games. The Clippers were trying to salvage this four-game trip after having lost the first three games, including Friday night's dud at Memphis.

"I like the way our guys responded," Dunleavy said. "We looked at this road trip and we wanted to go 2-2, 3-1, and we let that one get away in Dallas and then we laid an egg last night."

The egg laying included a mere three offensive rebounds against the Grizzlies. On Saturday, the Clippers had five in the first quarter against the Timberwolves.

In all, the Clippers outrebounded the Timberwolves, 54-38, led by Marcus Camby's 19 rebounds, a team season high, and his seven blocked shots.

"I just tried to get to the spot before the ball got there and stay aggressive," Camby said.

He scored 12 points, and Baron Davis had 27 points, including four three-point baskets and nine assists. Zach Randolph had 21 points and nine rebounds.

"We let a couple of games go on this road trip that we could have won," Davis said. "There's no way we should be 4-16, but at the same time, that's our record."

Davis spoke of a stylistic evolution.

"I thought this road trip we ran a little bit more and performed out there on our instincts out there more so than anything," Davis said. "That's what we have to do when our offense gets bogged down because a lot of teams are prepared for us. We have to be a little more creative as far as what we're doing out there on the offensive end."

The low point of the season may well have been the lackluster performance against the Grizzlies.

"We've got to get better at our decision making, between shot selection and turnovers," Dunleavy said of that showing. "It's letting teams either stay in games or win games and it puts a lot of pressure on your defense."

And so, at least for one night, Minnesota was the salve for the Clippers' wounds. The Timberwolves shot 20% from the field in the first quarter and 28% in the third, a combined 10 for 41 in those quarters.