Boston Celtics beat Minnesota Timberwolves 121-109, end three-game skid

The Boston Celtics defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 121-109, ending a three-game losing streak for their first victory since returning home to TD Garden on Friday night.

With a 23-10 record, Boston struggle outside the arc, while Minnesota has a 16-17 record. The Celtics led 50-41 with 3:46 remaining in the first half. After halftime, they trailed 56-54, showing just how volatile Friday night’s game against Minnesota was.

Boston Celtics

2022-12-24 01:21

tough 😤 https://t.co/K0Kj0LAXga

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The Celtics’ defense forced the Timberwolves to score 30 points or fewer in each quarter. This included limiting Minnesota to 21 points in the final frame. With these stops, Boston managed to play up-tempo and consistently score points at the rim.

Friday’s win saw the Celtics score 58 points on the offensive end. The biggest contributions came from Jaylen Brown, who poured in a game-high 36 points, Jayson Tatum, who scored 30, and Derrick White, whose aggressive play got Boston within striking distance towards the end of the game.

Game highlights

It was imperative that the Celtics play aggressively, with pace, and maintain ball possession against their opponents. By doing that, they managed to produce quality shots consistently. Without doing that, they tend to lose confidence, and their defense deteriorates.

Boston’s process looked effective in the first frame on Friday. With their strong on- and off-ball play, the Celtics were often up-tempo, and they got to the rim, scoring 14 points. However, they only managed 22 points.

Boston did not make any threes from beyond the arc, shooting an abysmal 36 percent from the field. As Brown and Tatum had five and four points, respectively, White stood out with a team-high eight points and three layups. In addition to not making shots, the Celtics committed five turnovers, which led to eight Timberwolves points.

Boston Celtics

2022-12-24 02:12

slap that floor 😤 https://t.co/G9Mtl3tHRZ

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Shooting guard Anthony Edwards, center Rudy Gobert, and point guard D’Angelo Russell picked up the slack for the Timberwolves in center Karl-Anthony Towns’ absence due to a calf injury. Boston’s perimeter defense was under constant pressure from Minnesota’s backcourt all night.

With 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks off the bench, center Naz Reid made a significant contribution. Through his shooting and effort on the boards, he immediately injected energy into Minnesota’s lineup.

Russell also had a great first quarter for Minnesota. In addition to going 6/6 from the free throw line, their floor general led all scorers with 13 points on 3/4 shooting. The Timberwolves led 29-22 entering the second quarter after Russell grabbed three rebounds and handed out four assists.

Boston Celtics

2022-12-24 02:20

needed that 👌🏽 https://t.co/lW5UprAqF2

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Following Russell’s turnover, Brown buried a three on Boston’s next possession after taking and missing the first shot of the period. On a change-of-pace drive, Brown scored two points at the rim to give the Celtics a 93-90 lead with 10:26 remaining.

For the Celtics, those two possessions led to ten straight points. In the final frame, Brown scored 23 of Boston’s 33 points, finishing with a game-high 36 points.

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With the Celtics playing their best defense in the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves managed only 21 points. It was consistent stops that led to points at the rim, which was one of the themes of the game. Taking advantage of 20 offensive rebounds, the Celtics scored 20 second-chance points.

To win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas, the Celtics need to play the way they won this game, specifically overcoming poor shooting from beyond the arc, shooting 13/46 (28.3 percent), playing solid defense, making shots consistently and remaining aggressive.