The Boston Celtics defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 118-115 thriller. Jayson Tatum scored 33 points with 8 rebounds and 9 assists and Derrick White scored 26 points in the victory. Julius Randle led Minnesota with 27 points.
This game kicked off a four-game road trip for Boston, and they got it started with a win. The Celtics were shorthanded and played without Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis. The Timberwolves missed Rob Dillingham and Luka Garza. The Boston Celtics improved to 25-9, while Minnesota dropped to 17-16.
A Back and Forth First Half
The Boston Celtics got off to another slow start shooting the ball, and the Timberwolves took a 7-0 lead. Randle made two three-pointers early on, and their lead quickly grew to double digits. The Celtics have been a team that relies on the three-pointer, but it feels like every game they come out cold. Even when their shooting did pick up, Minnesota was also, shooting 7-of-12 from three. Boston did trim the deficit with a Luke Kornet alley-oop, but at the end of the quarter, the Timberwolves led 35-28. Randle had 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and Jaden McDaniels had 8. Jrue Holiday led the Celtics with eight first quarter points.
Sam Hauser kickstarted the second quarter with back-to-back threes and the Boston Celtics took the lead on an 8-0 run. From there, both teams went back and forth, trading the lead. Hauser and Randle traded buckets, and the defense had tightened up. The Celtics began to force turnovers which transitioned into points on the other end. A pair of three-pointers from Jayson Tatum fueled a 12-2 Boston run. Neemias Queta even got involved, scoring a hook shot over Rudy Gobert and an alley-oop dunk. At halftime, the Boston Celtics led 62-51.
The Boston Celtics outscored the Timberwolves 34-16 in the second quarter. Tatum had 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Hauser was also stepping up in the absence of Jaylen Brown, scoring 12 points on four three-pointers. Derrick White also had 10 points and 2 blocks in the first half. Randle still led Minnesota with 15 points, followed by McDaniels with 10. Anthony Edwards had 9 points but was shooting 3-of-10. After giving up 35 points in the first quarter, the Boston Celtics defense turned it up a notch. But both teams had great moments in the first half, and the game was shaping up to be a good one.
The Boston Celtics Hold On
The Timberwolves came out aggressive in the third quarter and brought the Boston Celtics lead back to single digits. Randle continued to score from three and in the paint and they found a rebounding edge down low. Minnesota went on an 11-2 run, trimming the Boston lead. Tatum helped quell the Timberwolves momentum with a dunk and a couple of three-pointers. Tatum scored 16 points in the third quarter, but Minnesota put a dent in the Celtics lead. Through three quarters, the Boston Celtics led 91-85.
Recent games between the Celtics and Timberwolves have come down to the wire, and this one looked to be no different. Josh Minott got a posterizing dunk on White, and Minnesota opened the quarter on a 9-3 run tying the game at 94. The Timberwolves then took the lead with a three-pointer from Nickeil Alexander-Walker. From there, both teams went back and forth. Even though these teams only play two times a season, there’s a competitive nature every time they meet. With 5:47 remaining, the Boston Celtics led 105-100.
Randle and Al Horford traded three-pointers and Tatum continued to score. A three-pointer from White put the Boston Celtics up by eight, but the Timberwolves would not relent. A Naz Reid three made it a five-point game, but White followed it up with another huge bank shot three-pointer. The Celtics led 118-110 with 1:48 remaining. A Reid putback and three free throws from Donte DiVincenzo suddenly made it a three-point game with 28 seconds left. A Tatum miss gave Minnesota the final shot with a chance to tie. Edwards got a chance but missed the game-tying three with tight defense. The Boston Celtics held on to win 118-115.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics improved to 25-9 with the win. Tatum led the way with 33 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists. Derrick White was also huge down the stretch, hitting multiple big shots in a close fourth quarter. White finished with 26 points. The Minnesota Timberwolves fell to 17-16 with the loss. Randle scored 27 points, shooting 5-of-7 from three. Naz Reid scored 20 off the bench and Jaden McDaniels had 19 points. The Boston Celtics won this game without Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis, sweeping the season series 2-0.
