The Boston Celtics were victorious against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night by a final score of 145-136. This game was all Timber wolves for almost the entire duration, until an overtime surge propelled the Celtics to victory.
The Celtics came out very flat to start this game, as they were missing shots. The Timberwolves were scoring anyway they wanted. Towards the end of the first quarter the T-Wolves went on a 6-0 run extending their lead 26-20.
Bostons defense did not have an answer for the T-Wolves pick and roll offense. They were scoring at all 3 levels from the floor. The Celtics had trouble finding their sense of urgency and it was tough to get stops on the defensive end. At the half the T wolves were cruising to a 66-57 lead heading into the locker room.
In the third quarter, the Wolves came out hot. They went on a 7-0 run to start the quarter, extending their lead 82-62. The Celtics yet again struggled in the Timberwolves zone as they were forced to hit shots from behind the arch. Towards the end of the third quarter, the Celtics played with fire and energy as they closed the quarter on a 15-5 run 97-92.
This Celtics run was guided by the Celtics getting a flow on offense, and getting Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown going Marcus Smart was big in this run as a big force on the defensive end as well as hitting big time shots.
In the fourth quarter, it was a defensive battle to start the quarter eventfully. With 9:54 to play in the fourth quarter the Celtics took there first lead since the very beginning of the game at 101-100.
The Celtics would then go on a 7-0 run with 7:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, extending their lead 107-100. In the final minutes of the fourth what looked like to be a secured win for the Celtics the T-Wolves went on a 5-0 run tying the game at 124-124 at the end of regulation.
In Overtime, Jayson Tatum continued his career night, Carrying the Celtics offense in the overtime period. Tatum was fouled with 1:25 to go in overtime putting the Celtics up 138-132. The Celtics would be able to secure the victory.
The Celtics had four players score in double figures. Leading the way for the Celtics was Jayson Tatum with 53 points on 16-25 shooting and 10 rebounds, Kemba Walker also scored 17 points on 5-14 shooting. Marcus Smart scored 24 points on 7-12 shooting. Jaylen Brown scored 26 points on 9-15 shooting.
“It will be a night I’ll always remember,” Tatum said. “My first 50-point game, and we got the win on top of that. I just grew up wanting to be in the NBA when I was a kid. Now I’m living out my dream at a high level and it’s more than I could have ever wished for.”
“He just wouldn’t let us lose,” Brad Stevens said about Tatum’s career night. “When we were coming back in the third, you could see he had it. The guys did a good job finding him. Don’t mistake his quiet demeanor for [not] being a competitor. He is a competitor.”
The Timberwolves had four players score in double figures. Leading the way for the T wolves was Karl Anthony Towns with 30 points on 10-22 shooting, Anthony Edwards also scored 24 points on 7-12 shooting. Josh Okogie also scored 16 points on 6-11 shooting. Jaden Mcdaniels scored 11 points on 5-12 shooting.
The Celtics improve to 27-26 on the season, and will Travel to Denver to take on the Denver Nuggets on Sunday afternoon at 3pm EST