Jayson Tatum raises his point total up to 43 with a huge 3-pointer for the Celtics

BOSTON

Kevin Garnett was the starting centre for Minnesota the previous time the Timberwolves triumphed in Boston. In an attempt to recover from the New York Yankees’ historic loss in the AL Championship Series against the Red Sox, Alex Rodriguez was participating in spring training.

In the new Boston Garden, Garnett’s number is currently suspended from the rafters next to the 2008 NBA championship banner that he helped the Celtics win. And on Wednesday night, Rodriguez—who is currently the owner of the Timberwolves—was courtside watching another Boston team shatter 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.

Wolves hand Celtics 1st loss with 114-109 OT victory

“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 De

rrick 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.

Anthony Edwards is a young pro that we’re up against. He will have the chance to demonstrate his brilliance,” Brown remarked. “I was thinking, ‘Not tonight.'”

The Timberwolves (26-11) have the top record in the Western Conference, following only NBA-best Boston (29-8) overall. In their prior meeting, which took place in November, Minnesota defeated the Celtics in overtime.

Tatum remarked, “Our memory is fantastic.” “We recall facing those opponents in Minnesota. We still recall how the game felt to lose.

The last time Minnesota triumphed in Boston was March 2005, which was five months after the Red Sox overcame a 3-0 deficit to defeat Rodriguez’s Yankees in the ALCS and go on to win their first World Series in eighty-six years. After two years, the Timberwolves traded Garnett to Boston, where he assisted the team in winning the NBA title and ending a 22-year drought, the longest in the team’s history.

However, neither that group nor any of the 16 subsequent championship-winning Celtics teams ever began a season with 18 straight victories at home. The 1957–58 squad triumphed in their first seventeen home games, while the 1985–86 Celtics finished 40–1 overall.

 

Since last March, the Celtics have won 25 straight home games during the regular season. (They did suffer losses in Boston throughout the playoffs, most notably against the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.)

Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla stated, “There’s nothing better than getting the Garden and the crowd to appreciate Celtics basketball.” They kept us in it even when we made mistakes, which we did occasionally. Developing a bond with the crowd and the city is crucial.

Boston led by nine with eight minutes left in the second quarter and still had a 54-48 edge in the last minute of the half when Minnesota scored the last five baskets 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.

The Timberwolves took their first lead of the game when Towns scored on their first possession of the second half. With 3:35 remaining in the fourth quarter, Minnesota had a 106-97 lead. However, Boston scored 14 of the final 19 points in regulation.

UP NEXT

Timberwolves: Host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.

Celtics: At the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.