The Boston Celtics returned to action against the Minnesota Timberwolves on the evening of Feb. 21st after more than a week of following the 2020 NBA All-Star weekend.
And they looked like it.
Boston came out a little rusty, allowing a Karl-Anthony Towns-less Wolves stay closer than they had any business doing until the game’s final moments, even with starting point guard Kemba Walker out with a swollen knee.
Neither team was able to get much separation early, though Boston built a small cushion off of a couple of nifty dunks from center Daniel Theis as the first quarter wound down.
The Celtics started to pull away early in the second frame as All-Star forward Jayson Tatum began to warm up, nailing a filthy step back 3-pointer with about nine minutes left in the half.
But shooting guard Jaylen Brown playing sloppy defensive early prevented his team from building much of a lead. Conversely, Tatum going off for 18 points in the first two quarters — including two rim-rattling flushes in the final two minutes of the half — kept Boston from falling behind.
heating up 🌡️ pic.twitter.com/GmKuTiBtsI
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 22, 2020
The Celtics started the third quarter leading 61 – 53 with veteran swingman Gordon Hayward and new Timberwolf D’Angelo Russell trading buckets to open the frame.
A dunk and a trey by Theis on back-to-back possessions gave Boston a 68-55 lead with about 10 minutes left in the quarter, but the lead wouldn’t hold.
Minnesota cut the lead to five with 7:30 to go off a Malik Beasley layup, and a Naz Reid trey shortly after forced head coach Brad Stevens to take a time out.
15 points in the third quarter from Hayward kept Boston from falling behind, but a 3-pointer from Jordan McLaughlin cut it to 100-98 with just under nine minutes to play.
A dunk by Josh Okogie cut the lead to just one with 7:30 to go in the game.
The Wolves stayed close, and Brown would foul out with 4:30 left after a rough night defensively.
Minnesota threatened to retake the lead several times in the fourth, but never got over the hump.
Jaylen Brown was pretty good offensively, but he was not good defensively for most of the night.
— John Karalis 🇬🇷 (@RedsArmy_John) February 22, 2020
Boston finally pulled away with a 7-0 run late in fourth, which saw rookie Romeo Langford on the floor to close out the contest in Brown’s absence.
The Celtics would come away with a 127-117 win that was much less certain than the final score might have suggested.
Boston was led by 29 points, 5 boards and 6 assists from Hayward on 12-of-17 shooting, 28 points and 11 boards for Tatum, and 25 points and 8 rebounds from Brown before he fouled out on 10-0f-17 shooting.
The Celtics also saw a new career high in both points (25) and rebounds (16) for Theis, the third Boston player having an efficient night with 9-of-14 shooting from the floor.
Minnesota saw an excellent night from Beasley, who went 10-of-18 overall for 27 points. Despite all five starters scoring in double-digits, it wasn’t enough to give the Wolves the upset win.
The Boston Celtics next face the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Sunday, February 23rd at 2:30 pm ET.
[lawrence-related id=29613,29602,29583,29570]