The Minnesota Timberwolves have the fifth-worst record in the NBA, but their future is very bright, and one only needed to watch Monday’s game to see why.
The Timberwolves’ very young, very talented core was on its A-game against the Boston Celtics, leading Minnesota to a surprising 124-122 win at Target Center. Karl-Anthony Towns dominated with 28 points and 13 rebounds — including 20 points in the first half — while Andrew Wiggins added 17 points and Zach LaVine dropped 16.
Minnesota led by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter, but the Celtics came storming all the way back and had a chance to win the game at the buzzer. Marcus Smart’s deep 3-pointer missed its mark as time ran out, however, dropping the C’s to 1-2 on a disappointing post-All Star break road trip.
Jae Crowder had an excellent game, finishing with a career-high 27 points on 9 of 15 shooting, while Avery Bradley added 22. Isaiah Thomas finished with 18 points but shot just 8 of 20 from the floor.
STARTING FIVE
Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson, Jared Sullinger
TALK OF THE TOWNS
Towns nearly outscored the Celtics by himself in the first quarter.
The Timberwolves’ No. 1 overall pick absolutely dominated the sluggish Celtics out of the gate. With 1:16 remaining in the quarter, he had as many points by himself (15) as Boston’s entire team and also ripped down seven rebounds in the frame.
On the other end, the Celtics couldn’t buy a bucket, shooting 36 percent from the floor in the period and going just 1 for 7 from 3-point range. Yet Boston closed the quarter on an 8-0 run to make things a bit more manageable.
GAME OF RUNS
The pendulum swung widely on both ends in the second quarter.
The Celtics’ bench exposed the Wolves’ weak second unit early in the frame, picking up where they left off in the first to extend their run to 17 consecutive points and take a one-point lead.
But Minnesota withstood Boston’s blow and responded with an 18-4 run of its own, led by the efforts of reserve forward Shabazz Muhammad (9 points in the quarter) and the continued strong play of Towns.
HOT CROWDER
The Timberwolves continued to pour it on in the third quarter and would have put the game out of reach if it wasn’t for the excellent play of Crowder.
The Celtics swingman exploded for 16 points in the quarter, victimizing Wiggins at nearly every turn to the tune of 6 of 9 shooting from the floor.
But Minnesota’s starters stayed hot offensively, scoring all but two of the team’s 34 points in the quarter. Gorgui Dieng banked in a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the Wolves up nine entering the fourth.
OUT OF TIME
As they usually do, the Celtics battled to the final whistle, but their comeback was too little, too late.
Boston cranked up the defensive pressure down the stretch, forcing the young Wolves to commit a series of turnovers that helped the C’s hang around. Crowder drilled a 3-pointer with 33 seconds left to bring the Celtics within five, and Bradley knocked down a trey with three seconds left to make it a one-point game.
But Boston couldn’t execute on its final possession, settling for a deep Smart 3-pointer:
PLAY OF THE NIGHT
Smart channeled his inner NFL wide receiver in the first quarter:
UP NEXT
For the first time in more than two weeks, the Celtics will play a home game. The C’s return to the friendly confines of TD Garden on Thursday to take on the Milwaukee Bucks, who entered Monday with a 23-33 record but had won three of their last four. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@NBA
