LOS ANGELES – There was a time earlier this season when the Timberwolves dominated the third quarter. They had one of the best net ratings in the NBA in that quarter, and that was the time of the night they would turn games into blowouts. That wasn't always present as they went through some struggles in January, but for the second straight game, the Wolves regained that habit.

After routing Milwaukee in the third quarter in their last game, the Wolves used a monster third to ignite a 121-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in a battle of two of the four teams jockeying for position at the top of the Western Conference standings. The Wolves are now one game ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder and 1½ games ahead of the Clippers and the Denver Nuggets.

The Wolves won the third quarter 40-19 on Monday and turned a four-point halftime deficit into a 17-point lead. They didn't let the Clippers back in it during the fourth in one of their most impressive wins since the calendar turned to 2024.

After a slow start offensively, the Wolves looked turbocharged in the second half, and everyone contributed. Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points, while Anthony Edwards added 23. Rudy Gobert contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Monte Morris had five points in his Wolves debut in 18 minutes. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 15 points off the bench.

The Wolves' stellar defense held the Clippers to 41% shooting. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George each had 18 points, but the Wolves held each under 50% shooting.

The night began with a defensive rock fight reminiscent of the early 2000s, as both teams struggled to score from the jump. The Clippers were just 7-for-19 in the first quarter, and while the Wolves were 11-for-23, they were just 1-for-8 from three-point range.

The Wolves' defense propelled them to a nine-point lead, but a turnover late contributed to a two-for-one opportunity for the Clippers, and Leonard took advantage. He finished the quarter with a pair of dunks that brought the arena to life and cut the Wolves' lead to 28-24 entering quarter two.

BOXSCORE: Timberwolves 121, Los Angeles Clippers 100

Sign up for our Timberwolves Update newsletter

New Wolves guard Morris made his debut to start the second quarter. His first bucket was a three-pointer from the left wing that gave the Wolves a 10-point lead a little more than five minutes into the second. But the Clippers answered that 8-0 Wolves run with a 10-0 run over the next four minutes. A bucket from Jaden McDaniels snapped a 4-minute, 18-second scoring drought for the Wolves.

Once again the end of the quarter was a disaster for the Wolves, as a turnover from Alexander-Walker in the final seconds led to a James Harden three-pointer and a 53-49 Clippers lead at the half. Towns led the Wolves with 14 points in the first half.

The Wolves came out charged in the third quarter with an 8-0 run, and that set the tone for the rest of the quarter, as Edwards scored 10 and Gobert added another seven. The Wolves grabbed their biggest lead of the night toward the end of third, as Towns got to the foul line three separate times. Edwards added a smooth reverse layup at the end of the quarter, and the Wolves took an 89-72 lead into the fourth quarter after closing the third on a 12-1 run.

The Wolves won the quarter 40-19 and held the Clippers to 35% shooting.

They extended the lead to 24 in the fourth and didn't allow the Clippers back in it.