East-leading Celtics hold off West's best Timberwolves in OT, improve to 18-0 at home
BOSTON (AP) The last time the Timberwolves won in Boston, Kevin Garnett was the starting center - for Minnesota. Alex Rodriguez was in spring training, trying to bounce back from the New York Yankees' historic collapse in the AL Championship Series against the Red Sox.
Garnett's number is hanging from the rafters in the new Boston Garden now, not far from the 2008 NBA championship banner he helped the Celtics win. And Rodriguez, who's now a Timberwolves owner, was sitting courtside on Wednesday night to watch another Boston team break his heart.
Jayson Tatum scored 45 points - 14 of them in the fourth quarter and another 12 in overtime - to help the Celtics beat the Timberwolves 127-120 in a matchup of the two conference leaders. Boston improved to 18-0 at home for the first time in franchise history.
“You live for those moments. You want to do whatever you can to help your team win," Tatum said. “I didn’t want to lose at home yet. We’re still undefeated. The crowd got behind us. The energy got going. That was a fun ballgame toward the end.”
Jaylen Brown had 35 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics. Jrue Holiday scored 12, including a corner 3-pointer off an offensive rebound by Derrick White to cap a 14-3 run that gave Boston a 111-109 lead with 26 seconds left in regulation.
Anthony Edwards hit a pair of free throws to tie it, and Tatum missed an off-balance shot at the buzzer that could have won the game in regulation.
Edwards had 29 points and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 25 with 13 rebounds for Minnesota, which flew in from Orlando in the afternoon because of weather problems that prevented the Timberwolves from traveling Tuesday night.
“We’re playing against a young superstar in Anthony Edwards. … It’s going to be an opportunity for him to showcase his greatness,” Brown said. “My whole thing was, ‘Not tonight.’”
The Timberwolves (26-11) have the top record in the Western Conference, trailing only NBA-best Boston (29-8) overall. Minnesota beat the Celtics in overtime in their previous matchup, in November.
“We've got a great memory,” Tatum said. “We remember playing those guys in Minnesota. We remember how it felt to lose that game.”
Minnesota last won at Boston in March 2005 - five months after the Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the ALCS to beat Rodriguez's Yankees and then went on to win their first World Series in 86 years. Two years later, the Timberwolves traded Garnett to Boston, where he helped the Celtics snap a 22-year drought - the longest in franchise history - and win the NBA title.
But neither that roster nor any of the 16 other Celtics teams to win it all ever started a season with 18 straight wins at home. The 1957-58 team won its first 17 home games; the 1985-86 Celtics went 40-1 at home overall.
The Celtics have won 25 regular-season home games in a row, going back to last March. (They did lose in Boston during the playoffs, including a Game 7 loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.)
“There’s nothing better than getting the Garden and the crowd to appreciate Celtics basketball,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Even when we did suck, which we did at times, they kept us in it. It’s important to have that relationship with the crowd and the city.”
Boston led by nine with eight minutes left in the second quarter and still held a 54-48 edge in the final minute of the half before Minnesota scored the last five points before the break, making it a one-point game when Towns stole the ball and fed Edwards on a fast break just before the buzzer.
Towns scored on the first possession of the second half to give the Timberwolves their first lead. Minnesota led 106-97 with 3:35 left in the fourth before Boston scored 14 of the last 19 points in regulation.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.
Celtics: At the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Al Horford (Jaylen Brown gains possession) | ||
| 11:41 | | Jrue Holiday turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 11:30 | | Jrue Holiday personal foul (Anthony Edwards draws the foul) | ||
| 11:23 |  | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:20 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 11:14 | | Kyle Anderson personal foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 11:03 | | +3 | Jayson Tatum makes three point jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 0-3 |
| 10:44 | | Jaden McDaniels misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 10:41 | | Kyle Anderson offensive rebound | ||
| 10:37 | | Jaden McDaniels misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 10:36 | | Jrue Holiday defensive rebound | ||
| 10:30 | | Jrue Holiday misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:28 | | Kyle Anderson defensive rebound | ||
| 10:20 | | +2 | Kyle Anderson makes two point driving hook shot | 2-3 |
| 10:03 | | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point jump shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 2-6 |
| 9:45 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:43 | | Derrick White defensive rebound | ||
| 9:39 | | Derrick White misses two point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:35 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 9:21 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point turnaround bank jump shot | ||
| 9:19 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 9:11 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 9:11 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 2-7 |
| 9:11 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 2-8 |
| 8:54 | | Jrue Holiday shooting foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 8:54 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 3-8 |
| 8:54 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 4-8 |
| 8:40 | | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point jump shot (Al Horford assists) | 4-11 |
| 8:17 | | Jaden McDaniels misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:14 | | Jrue Holiday defensive rebound | ||
| 8:06 | | Jaylen Brown misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:06 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 7:50 | | Kyle Anderson misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 7:48 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 7:40 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:36 | | Jaden McDaniels defensive rebound | ||
| 7:35 | | Jaden McDaniels turnover (discontinue dribble) | ||
| 7:29 | | Naz Reid shooting foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 7:29 | | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 4-12 |
| 7:29 | | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 4-13 |
| 7:08 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point reverse layup | 6-13 |
| 7:08 | | Sam Hauser shooting foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 7:08 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 7-13 |
| 6:51 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:48 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 6:33 | | +2 | Jaden McDaniels makes two point fadeaway bank jump shot | 9-13 |
| 6:11 | | Al Horford misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 6:09 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 6:00 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 5:58 | | Naz Reid offensive rebound | ||
| 5:58 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point tip layup | 11-13 |
| 5:58 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:41 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point finger roll layup (Al Horford assists) | 11-15 |
| 5:23 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point driving layup (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 13-15 |
| 5:11 | | +3 | Al Horford makes three point jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 13-18 |
| 4:52 | | Naz Reid misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:49 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 4:44 | | Derrick White misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 4:42 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 4:28 | | +3 | Jordan McLaughlin makes three point jump shot (Naz Reid assists) | 16-18 |
| 4:15 | | Jaden McDaniels personal foul (Al Horford draws the foul) | ||
| 4:07 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point pullup jump shot | 16-20 |
| 3:44 | | Kyle Anderson misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 3:41 | | Derrick White defensive rebound | ||
| 3:36 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point running finger roll layup | 16-22 |
| 3:23 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point cutting layup (Kyle Anderson assists) | 18-22 |
| 3:14 | | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point stepback jump shot | 18-25 |
| 2:50 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point jump shot | ||
| 2:48 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 2:39 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 18-28 |
| 2:16 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point turnaround bank hook shot (Kyle Anderson assists) | 20-28 |
| 2:03 | | Jaylen Brown misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:00 | | Troy Brown Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 1:56 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point running dunk (Troy Brown Jr. assists) | 22-28 |
| 1:40 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:38 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 1:30 | | Derrick White personal foul (Naz Reid draws the foul) | ||
| 1:30 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 1:15 | | +2 | Kyle Anderson makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 24-28 |
| 0:58 | | +2 | Derrick White makes two point driving floating jump shot | 24-30 |
| 0:49 | | Troy Brown Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:47 | | Derrick White defensive rebound | ||
| 0:33 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:31 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 0:31 | | Kyle Anderson personal foul (Loose ball) (Luke Kornet draws the foul) | ||
| 0:31 | | +1 | Luke Kornet makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 24-31 |
| 0:31 | | +1 | Luke Kornet makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 24-32 |
| 0:14 | | +3 | Jordan McLaughlin makes three point jump shot (Kyle Anderson assists) | 27-32 |
| 0:01 | | Derrick White turnover (bad pass) (Kyle Anderson steals) | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:48 | | +3 | Naz Reid makes three point jump shot (Jaden McDaniels assists) | 30-32 |
| 11:27 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point cutting dunk (Jrue Holiday assists) | 30-34 |
| 11:18 | | +2 | Troy Brown Jr. makes two point driving layup | 32-34 |
| 10:56 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:54 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 10:46 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:43 | | Payton Pritchard defensive rebound | ||
| 10:40 | | Jordan McLaughlin personal foul (Payton Pritchard draws the foul) | ||
| 10:29 | | +2 | Jrue Holiday makes two point driving hook shot | 32-36 |
| 10:15 | | Troy Brown Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:13 | | Naz Reid offensive rebound | ||
| 10:11 | | Naz Reid misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 10:07 | | Karl-Anthony Towns offensive rebound | ||
| 10:07 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point putback layup | 34-36 |
| 9:49 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point layup (Payton Pritchard assists) | 34-38 |
| 9:28 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 9:26 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 9:20 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:15 | | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | ||
| 9:15 | | Luke Kornet misses two point tip layup | ||
| 9:14 | | Jordan McLaughlin defensive rebound | ||
| 9:08 | | Jaden McDaniels misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:05 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 9:02 | | +2 | Jrue Holiday makes two point running layup (Jayson Tatum assists) | 34-40 |
| 8:47 | | Luke Kornet blocks Naz Reid's two point layup | ||
| 8:44 | | Naz Reid offensive rebound | ||
| 8:43 | | Naz Reid turnover (bad pass) (Jrue Holiday steals) | ||
| 8:30 | | +3 | Jayson Tatum makes three point pullup jump shot | 34-43 |
| 8:29 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:18 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 8:14 | | Kyle Anderson offensive rebound | ||
| 8:14 | | +2 | Kyle Anderson makes two point tip layup | 36-43 |
| 7:56 | | Jrue Holiday misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:54 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 7:45 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point cutting dunk (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 38-43 |
| 7:28 | | Jaden McDaniels shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 7:28 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 38-44 |
| 7:28 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 38-45 |
| 7:14 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 7:12 | | Oshae Brissett defensive rebound | ||
| 7:00 | | Al Horford misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:58 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 6:51 | | Oshae Brissett personal foul (Double) (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 6:51 | | Karl-Anthony Towns personal foul (Double) (Oshae Brissett draws the foul) | ||
| 6:47 | | Jump ball. Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Al Horford (Kyle Anderson gains possession) | ||
| 6:34 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:32 | | Oshae Brissett defensive rebound | ||
| 6:21 | | Jaden McDaniels personal foul (Oshae Brissett draws the foul) | ||
| 6:12 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 6:09 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 5:53 | | Jaden McDaniels misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:50 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 5:45 | | Jaylen Brown turnover (bad pass) (Karl-Anthony Towns steals) | ||
| 5:36 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point running dunk (Kyle Anderson assists) | 40-45 |
| 5:36 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:23 | | Derrick White misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:19 | | Kyle Anderson defensive rebound | ||
| 5:08 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:04 | | Derrick White defensive rebound | ||
| 4:54 | | Al Horford offensive foul (Kyle Anderson draws the foul) | ||
| 4:54 | | Al Horford turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 4:31 | | Al Horford shooting foul (Kyle Anderson draws the foul) | ||
| 4:31 | | +1 | Kyle Anderson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 41-45 |
| 4:31 | | +1 | Kyle Anderson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 42-45 |
| 4:08 | | Jrue Holiday misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:05 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 3:57 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 3:54 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 3:40 | | Al Horford misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:38 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 3:22 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point pullup bank jump shot | 44-45 |
| 3:05 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker shooting foul (Derrick White draws the foul) | ||
| 3:05 | | +1 | Derrick White makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 44-46 |
| 3:05 | | +1 | Derrick White makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 44-47 |
| 2:47 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point pullup bank jump shot | ||
| 2:45 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 2:29 | | +3 | Jrue Holiday makes three point jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 44-50 |
| 2:06 | | Anthony Edwards turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 1:49 | | Naz Reid blocks Jrue Holiday's two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 1:48 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 1:38 | | Derrick White shooting foul (Nickeil Alexander-Walker draws the foul) | ||
| 1:38 | | +1 | Nickeil Alexander-Walker makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 45-50 |
| 1:38 | | +1 | Nickeil Alexander-Walker makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 46-50 |
| 1:26 | | Karl-Anthony Towns shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 1:26 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 46-51 |
| 1:26 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 46-52 |
| 1:09 | | Jayson Tatum personal foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 1:09 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 47-52 |
| 1:09 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 48-52 |
| 0:54 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 48-54 |
| 0:38 | | Al Horford technical foul (Defensive three second) | ||
| 0:38 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 49-54 |
| 0:29 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 51-54 |
| 0:10 | | Jayson Tatum turnover (bad pass) (Karl-Anthony Towns steals) | ||
| 0:07 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point running dunk (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 53-54 |
| 0:03 | | Al Horford misses three point jump shot |