The Boston Celtics left Minnesota with a 104-102 victory over the Timberwolves on Wednesday night, but had to dodge a few possible injuries in order to do so.
Jaylen Brown, who led the C’s as the games leading scorer with 35 points and 10 rebounds, shared a back-and-forth verbal exchange with Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in the second quarter. Brown, who has continued to sport the protective facial mask following his facial fracture in February, was already on guard. So when Gobert nailed the All-Star in the face, knocking him to the ground, it prompted Brown to make his stance clear.
Yet, following the win, Brown reflected on the encounter and considered it to be necessary for his elite performance, which helped Boston get back in the win column.
“I probably needed to get hit in the face to get me going a little bit,” Brown said, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “I felt like Gobert was being a little reckless. I already got a broken cheekbone from (Jayson Tatum) so when I got hit in the face, I reacted.”
Watch Gobert knock down Brown, triggering the 26-year-old here:
Boston went down to the wire with yet another subpar competitor in the Timberwolves, holding on for dear life throughout the final frame with a near threat of overtime looming. But Brown closed Minnesota’s comeback bid, scoring 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field with three rebounds and as many assists in the fourth quarter.
“We just stayed the course,” Brown said. “I think defensively tonight we won the game. Keeping them under 100 points. I think that was the key. We didn’t shoot the ball great but our defense is what kept us in the game.”
The Celtics, who put aside their disappointing loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday, continue their road trip on Friday night. Boston will meet the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center at 10 p.m. ET.
