What Celtics Proved In Record-Setting Statement Win Over Timberwolves

The Boston Celtics went head-to-head with the Western Conference-best Minnesota Timberwolves and didn’t back down for a second.

Playing from behind late and trailing the Timberwolves by nine points with 4:09 left to go in regulation, the Celtics flexed their resiliency. Even when the ball movement was there, and the high-quality shot attempts weren’t falling, Boston wasn’t fazed and didn’t abandon the game plan.

Minnesota combatted with 29 bench points, picking apart the Celtics’ defense at various points throughout regulation to maintain a convincing advantage. Naz Reid led the reserves with 19 points, going 4-for-8 from inside the paint and helped spread a double-sided charge as the Timberwolves were equally as fierce on the defensive side of the court, making a comeback bid a difficult — but not impossible — venture for the Celtics.

Jayson Tatum did exactly what a No. 1 is expected to do: Maintain composure and play the role of a leader.

“You live for those moments, and you wanna do whatever you can to help the team win,” Tatum said, per NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “In the back of my mind, I ain’t wanna lose at home yet. Still undefeated, the crowd got behind us, the energy got going. It was a fun ball game for us.”

Tatum added: “We learned a lot. I know we played a really good team and there’s a lot that we can work on. When we play the right way on both ends of the floor, (we’re) pretty tough to beat.”

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Tatum dropped a season-high 45 points, but the eye-balling is just a simple way to sum up the stellar performance. When the Celtics needed a boost, Tatum was there, scoring 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. He also outscored Minnesota single-handily, 12-9, in overtime, making up for a missed game-winning attempt in regulation.

In 42 minutes on the floor, Tatum committed just one turnover. As a team, Boston committed just eight, valuing possessions and ensuring that self-inflicted miscues wouldn’t allow the Timberwolves to reach the finish line.

Put to the test as a unit, the Celtics didn’t fail. When the going got rough, Boston patiently awaited its opportunities to climb back and take apart Minesotta’s lead one basket at a time, uplifting the entire TD Garden crowd.

“I thought, even at moments where we weren’t playing Celtics basketball, I thought they stuck with it and stayed through it and I think you feel a significant difference in the environment and really us as a team, when they’re that way,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame, per NBC Sports Boston. “The Garden is the best place to be, and that was fun.”

Jaylen Brown played Batman to Tatum’s Superman, scoring 35 points on 9-of-16 shooting with 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. In Brown’s last three games, he’s averaged 35.5 points, shooting 62.9% from the field and 57.1% from 3-point territory.

Getting the job done without Kristaps Porzingis, who was ruled out with a right knee contusion, the Celtics proved two things: They’re very much so different than they were last season, and there’s not a game (yet) in which Boston can be counted out of — and we’re 37 games into the season.

Albeit early as the trade deadline and All-Star break are still ahead, the Celtics are settling in as a team with an established identity. They’re the best in the NBA, and it goes beyond having a league-best 29-8 record.

There hasn’t been a point where an absence or two has dragged the team down and torn apart its identity. Regardless of who Mazzulla plays, whether it’s been Al Horford for Porzingis or Sam Hauser for Tatum, Boston is yet to hit a deadened street. They’re yet to have the rug pulled from underneath them, and the Timberwolves are just the latest example of that.

Resiliency isn’t a stat recorded, but if it was, the Celtics would lead the NBA in that category too. They don’t fold and no matter how much an opponent gives them a run for their money, the new-look C’s are always there with a gameplan that can turn any four quarters into a nail-biter.

Boston improved to a franchise-record-setting 18-0 at home this season with its 127-120 victory, surpassing the 1957-58 Celtics.