BOSTON — Sunday night provided a sneaky challenge for the Boston Celtics. On the one hand, they had the benefit of avoiding Anthony Edwards, who was out with a knee injury. On the other hand, they still had to face off against one of the better defenses in basketball.
The first quarter saw them reap the rewards of the benefit. Minnesota struggled to generate offense, and Boston got a solid contribution from Jaylen Brown.
He put up 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting in the first frame, pacing all scorers on both sides. Meanwhile, nobody on the Wolves put up more than four points in the first (Bones Hyland had four and was the only player to make more than one field goal).
From the jump, Neemias Queta and Rudy Gobert engaged in an all-out brawl on the glass. Neither wanted to give an inch, and though Gobert ranks third in the NBA in total rebounds (777), Queta held his own. By halftime, Gobert had corralled 12 boards, and Queta had 10.
But if the first quarter was an example of how Boston benefited from Edwards’ absence, the second displayed the other part of the equation: Minnesota’s defense.
The Wolves upped their ball pressure, and the Celtics wilted. They turned the ball over nine times. For context, Boston’s season average for turnovers per game is 12.3.
And to make matters worse, most of them were live-ball turnovers. The Wolves scored 14 fast-break points on 5-of-6 shooting in the second. Hyland, in particular, thrived off Boston’s mistakes.
At halftime, the Celtics found themselves in a 47-44 hole, thanks to a Hyland three that beat the second-quarter buzzer.
Needless to say, Boston exited the tunnel after halftime in need of a serious energy shift. And that’s exactly what they got.
After a tough offensive showing in the first half, Jayson Tatum looked like a new player to begin the third quarter.
He drove to the basket with purpose, had active hands on the defensive end, and nailed an open three-pointer. It gave Boston a much-needed spark, and the rest of the team followed suit.
Brown found success in transition, and Boston jumped back out to a small lead. But the Timberwolves weren’t ready to let them pull away just yet.
Tatum got his first technical foul of the season after arguing a no-call, and the Wolves found some momentum. Led by Jaden McDaniels, the Wolves surged back with solid perimeter defense and an interior scoring punch.
In the third, Tatum had 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting (2-of-4) from deep, and Brown put up 10. However, McDaniels outdid both of them, finishing the frame with 15 of his own on 6-of-10 shooting.
The fourth quarter was the Hyland show. Though he’s only averaging 7.8 points this season, he’s the exact type of player who could get hot at a moment’s notice. And that’s exactly what happened on Sunday night.
When the first timeout of the quarter was called with 7:30 to go, Hyland had already tallied seven points. Not only was the Celtics’ offense struggling to get off the ground, but they were dealing with a constant case of ‘heat check’ on the other end.
Minnesota went on a 15-0 run, and Boston couldn’t find a way to stop the bleeding.
Tatum went on a small run midway through the quarter, but it was too little, too late.
Even when the Celtics started to pick up the pace on both ends, they couldn’t make anything. Layups were missing, open threes were missing, and the Wolves were forcing them into ugly shot attempts.
The end result was a tough, gritty win for the Wolves and a brutal offensive showing from Boston.
Big winner: It seems as though the Celtics’ stars have carved out quarter-by-quarter roles for themselves. Brown is still the leader in the clubhouse for first-half scoring. But once the third quarter comes around, Tatum turns it on.
And it’s not your-turn, my-turn basketball, either. They still play off each other. Tatum’s gravity creates space for Brown and vice versa. But they have both found ways to impact the game at different times, which, in theory, should keep defenses on their toes.
Brown had a ton of success to start the game, and Tatum thrived to start the third. Sunday night just wasn’t the most consistent offensive effort as a whole.
Ouch, tough one: For the second straight game, the Celtics struggled against
