Ex-Gopher Amir Coffey having his best NBA season coming home to face Wolves in play-in game with Clippers

After Sunday's 35-point outburst Sunday in a 138-88 victory over Oklahoma City, Amir Coffey showed off a gold championship belt draped over his shoulder to mark his career-best performance with the Los Angeles Clippers.

"I'm sleeping with it next to me tonight," Coffey said with a smile about the pro wrestling-inspired belt teammates gave him for being the player of the game.

It's hard to imagine Coffey dreaming up anything better than having his best game in the NBA just before coming home for a chance to make the playoffs. That will become reality when the Clippers face his hometown Timberwolves in Tuesday night's play-in game at Target Center.

"It's cool going back home for the most important game of the season," the 6-7 third-year wing said postgame Sunday. "I'm going to have my people in the crowd. And hopefully we come out with a win."

Wolves fans might not turn into Clippers faithful for Coffey, but they surely will be enthusiastic about seeing the ex-Hopkins star, who led his high school team to the Class 4A title at Target Center in 2016.

Coffey's pro basketball journey mirrors the feel-good underdog story of the Clippers, who had a winning season after battling through adversity, including injuries to stars Kawhi Leonard (knee) and Paul George (elbow).

After going undrafted following a stellar junior year leading the Gophers to the NCAA tournament in 2019, Coffey proved doubters wrong by earning a two-way contract that recently converted to a standard deal in late March. That made him eligible for postseason play.

Former Gophers and NBA player Richard Coffey was ecstatic about his son earning what he worked so hard for since he grew up with dreams of getting to the league. Coffey's mother, Sheba, said during Sunday's game that she teared up when she first heard about the new contract.

"There was a lot of emotion," Sheba said during a TV interview. "He felt like he had to pick up his jersey out of the mud. Nobody bet on him. When that actually happened, it was like '… We made it. Look where we are.'"

Coffey's expanded role this year under second-year Clippers coach Tyronn Lue resulted in him starting 30 games and averaging a career-high 9.0 points, 37.8% shooting on three-pointers and 22.7 minutes in 69 games.

"It comes with trust in your work," Coffey said. "I know what type of player I am, whether I'm playing or not. I just always feel like I'm ready to compete."

The highlight of his season before Sunday was a 32-point game on April 1 in a 153-119 victory over the defending champion Bucks. Four of Coffey's seven 20-point performances this season came in the month of January, which included 29 points vs. Washington and 27 points vs. Indiana.

Earlier this season, Lue said Coffey is now more confident taking his shot and understands even more how he fits in the Clippers' plans.

"Last year he didn't attack the basket as much as he has this year," Lue added. "[He's] just getting downhill, so he's getting more and more comfortable."

Coffey said his biggest area of improvement was becoming a better defender in extended minutes against the NBA's top wings. In his first two seasons, Coffey played with current Wolves guard Patrick Beverley, who taught him defensive positioning techniques.

Last season, former Gophers teammate Daniel Oturu played with Coffey on the Clippers, but he's now with the Windy City Bulls. Coffey knows that NBA G league experience well. He was only called up for 18 games his rookie year in 2019-20, but that jumped to 44 games last season.

Clippers fans cheered as Coffey talked about his career night and how much his team overcame to get a shot at the playoffs Tuesday night against the Wolves. There hasn't been much time to reflect on his play this season, but he's starting to realize how special it is to be making an impact.

"Just looking back on the past few years, seeing my progression and the work I put in, it's a good feeling," Coffey said. "But I'm just getting started."