Los Angeles Clippers defeat Minnesota Timberwolves, 91-87

There's a reason they call Craig Smith "Rhino." And it's not because he's a guy likely to cartwheel.

Yet when his agent woke him in Los Angeles early one morning last summer with word that he had been traded from the Timberwolves to someplace warmer, he almost tried one.

"Actually, it was a backflip," he said. "Tried a backflip. But it didn't go too well."

His agent only hinted at his new destination and didn't tell him right away that he was headed home to L.A...

LOS ANGELES -- Crowds streamed toward Staples Center late Monday afternoon cloaked completely in black, their hair dyed and their eyelashes colored to match.

Timberwolves supporters finally dressed appropriately?

Not quite.

    The fans in black arrived for a free Green Day concert outside Staples Center before the Timberwolves lost their 13th consecutive game inside, 91-87 to a Clippers team that finally overcame in the fourth quarter.

The Wolves led after eac...