Celtics Wrap: Boston Snaps Losing Skid With Gritty Win Over Timberwolves
Jaylen Brown had a huge fourth quarter
BOSTON — The Boston Celtics made sure they didn’t suffer a fourth straight loss Friday night as they ran away from the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 121-109 win at TD Garden.
The Celtics improve to 23-10 while the Timberwolves now own a 16-17 record.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
It was far from perfect. The Celtics still made plenty of mistakes and had bad lulls in their play while once again having a difficult time getting their shots to fall from beyond the arc.
But the Celtics will take a win any way they can get it at the moment after going into the matchup with the Timberwolves, having lost five of their last six games.
The Celtics turned in a gritty effort, getting contributions from nearly everywhere to overcome an eight-point, second-half deficit before taking off in the fourth quarter.
While the Celtics still aren’t playing their best, doing the little things and coupling that with effort and intensity is the right recipe to get them back on track. And a win over the Timberwolves sure is a solid start to get the good vibes flowing again.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Jaylen Brown stepped up in the fourth quarter as he tallied 23 of his 36 points in the final frame. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists.
— Anthony Edwards showed why the Timberwolves took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The 21-year-old poured in a team-high 30 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists.
— Derrick White has been ice cold during the month of December, but he broke out of his funk in a big way. White netted 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting while also registering five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
WAGER WATCH
With Robert Williams sidelined, Al Horford stepped up on the defensive end. DraftKings Sportsbook set the odds of the veteran big man recording a block at -145, which Horford easily did as he routinely contested shots at the rim. Horford recorded three blocks as a $100 wager would have netted a total of $168.97.
UP NEXT
The Celtics don’t get the holiday off as they get set for a Christmas Day showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s the first time the two sides have met since last year’s playoff series. Tipoff from TD Garden on Sunday is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.
