Game ID: 22300517
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Boston Celtics
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT1 Final
BOS 32 22 25 32 16 127MIN 27 26 32 26 9 120
BOS vs MIN ScoutingBOS vs MIN Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
BOS availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restBACK Kornet back 12/29 after 8, 25 min since (169% of 15)
BOS availability going into 1/05 · 2 days' restBACK Kornet back 12/29 after 8, 22 min since (146% of 15)
BOS availability going into 1/06 · back-to-backBACK Kornet back 12/29 after 8, 19 min since (129% of 15)
BOS availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restBACK Kornet back 12/29 after 8, 18 min since (125% of 15)
NEW Brissett 10 to 18 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 2 since 1/06, out tonight
NEW Brissett 10 to 19 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 1/11 · back-to-backOUT Queta missed 3 since 1/06, returns tonight: 13 min (113% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/13 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 13 min since (113% of 11)
NEW Horford 28 to 33 min over the last 3
BOS availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 13 min since (113% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/17 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 2 since 1/13, returns tonight: 12 min (108% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/03 · 1 day's restOUT Milton missed 3 since 12/28, returns tonight: 3 min (25% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 1/01 after 2, 12 min since (109% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restBACK Milton back 1/03 after 3, 3 min since (25% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 1/01 after 2, 14 min since (137% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restBACK Milton back 1/03 after 3, 3 min since (26% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 1/01 after 2, 14 min since (131% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/09 · 1 day's restBACK Milton back 1/03 after 3, 3 min since (26% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 1/01 after 2, 14 min since (129% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/10 · back-to-backBACK Milton back 1/03 after 3, 3 min since (24% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 1/01 after 2, 14 min since (133% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restBACK Milton back 1/03 after 3, 5 min since (36% of 13)
MIN availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's rest
full strength
MIN availability going into 1/17 · 2 days' rest
full strength
MIN availability going into 1/18 · back-to-back
full strength
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 27 free throws a game; Tatum at 31 and Brown at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 106, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Towns at 25 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-9 a night and Minnesota minus-1. Call it Boston 117, Minnesota 110.
1/02 @ OKC 123-127 — BOS notes
BOS lost 123-127. BOS shot 46% (42 of 92) to OKC's 53%, 15 of 40 from three, and went to the line 29 times to OKC's 17 — 24 points from the stripe to their 13. Porziņģis led with 34 (12 of 18, 2 of 3 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Tatum added 30, White 19. Q4 was theirs, 37-29, the deficit cut from 12 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 98-86 against them. Holiday's -15 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/05 vs UTA 126-97 — BOS notes
BOS won 126-97. BOS shot 43% (39 of 90) to UTA's 36%, 17 of 49 from three. BOS turned it over 12 times to UTA's 18. Tatum led with 30 (6 of 12, 5 of 8 from three, 13 of 14 at the line); Porziņģis added 19, Holiday 14. The hinge was Q2, 41-25: a lead of 15 became 31, and the lead reached 36. Tatum was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
1/06 @ IND 118-101 — BOS notes
BOS won 118-101. BOS shot 51% (46 of 90) to IND's 41%, 16 of 41 from three. BOS turned it over 17 times to IND's 9, and IND turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 56-38 for them. Tatum led with 38 (14 of 23, 8 of 13 from three); Brown added 31, Horford 10. The hinge was Q4, 34-20: a lead of 3 became 17. White was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
1/08 @ IND 131-133 — BOS notes
BOS lost 131-133. BOS shot 52% (47 of 90) to IND's 53%, 17 of 35 from three, and went to the line 29 times to IND's 22 — 20 points from the stripe to their 18. J. Brown led with 40 (17 of 26, 3 of 4 from three); Holiday added 21, Porziņģis 19. Q2 was theirs, 34-26, but the other 3 periods went 107-97 against them. They led by as many as 11. Horford's -9 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/10 vs MIN 127-120 — BOS notes
BOS won 127-120 in 1 overtime. BOS shot 43% (39 of 90) to MIN's 46%, 19 of 47 from three, and went to the line 31 times to MIN's 20 — 30 points from the stripe to their 18. Tatum led with 45 (13 of 26, 6 of 11 from three, 13 of 14 at the line); Brown added 35, Holiday 12. The hinge was OT1, 16-9: from level to 7 ahead. White was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
1/11 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 126, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 35 and Lillard at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Crowder (28 straight). 2 days' rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 29 free throws a game; Tatum at 36 and Brown at 27 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-6 a night and Milwaukee minus-4 and the defense, Boston allowing 116 a night to Milwaukee's 126. Call it Boston 121, Milwaukee 119, Milwaukee keeping it close.
1/13 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 117, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 29 free throws a game; Tatum at 30 and Brown at 26 a game. One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 117, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Sengun at 23 and Ja. Green at 19 a game. Without Brooks (9 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 38 percent from three to Houston's 32 and the line, where Boston takes 29 free throws a game to Houston's 24. Call it Boston 119, Houston 111.
1/15 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 131, shooting 54 percent and 44 from three, 22 free throws a game; Siakam at 22 and Barrett at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Poeltl (3 straight), Freeman-Liberty (37 straight). 2 days' rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 27 free throws a game; Brown at 30 and Tatum at 29 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 120 a night to Toronto's 131 and the glass, where Boston has been minus-1 a night and Toronto minus-6. Call it Boston 123, Toronto 119, Toronto keeping it close.
1/17 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 42 from three, 28 free throws a game; Brown at 29 and Tatum at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 23 and Johnson at 15 a game. Without Collins (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, San Antonio allowing 111 a night to Boston's 119 and the arc, Boston at 42 percent from three to San Antonio's 37. Call it Boston 120, San Antonio 114.
1/03 vs NOP 106-117 — MIN notes
MIN lost 106-117. MIN shot 45% (37 of 82) to NOP's 56%, 10 of 31 from three, and went to the line 27 times to NOP's 17 — 22 points from the stripe to their 15. The glass went 28-41 against them. Edwards led with 35 (11 of 22, 4 of 7 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Towns added 22, McDaniels 11. Q4 was theirs, 35-25, the deficit cut from 21 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 92-71 against them. McDaniels's -19 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/05 @ HOU 122-95 — MIN notes
MIN won 122-95. MIN shot 52% (46 of 88) to HOU's 40%, 14 of 33 from three. The glass went 52-38 for them. Edwards led with 24 (8 of 17, 2 of 5 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Towns added 22, McDaniels 16. The hinge was Q4, 38-23: a lead of 12 became 27, and the lead reached 33. Gobert was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
1/07 @ DAL 108-115 — MIN notes
MIN lost 108-115. MIN shot 44% (41 of 94) to DAL's 45%, 13 of 41 from three. Edwards led with 36 (14 of 27, 3 of 6 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Towns added 24, Reid 15. Q4 was theirs, 26-24, the deficit cut from 9 to 7, but the other 3 periods went 91-82 against them.
1/09 @ ORL 113-92 — MIN notes
MIN won 113-92. MIN shot 54% (43 of 80) to ORL's 36%, 12 of 30 from three. MIN turned it over 18 times to ORL's 12, and ORL turned those into 13 steals. Towns led with 28 (11 of 19, 5 of 5 from three); Gobert added 21, McDaniels 15. The hinge was Q1, 33-16: from level to 17 ahead, and the lead reached 34. McDaniels was the night's best plus/minus at +35.
1/10 @ BOS 120-127 — MIN notes
MIN lost 120-127 in 1 overtime. MIN shot 46% (44 of 95) to BOS's 43%, 14 of 34 from three, and got to the line 20 times to BOS's 31. Edwards led with 29 (11 of 25, 3 of 6 from three); Towns added 25, Reid 19. Q3 was theirs, 32-25, turning a 1-point deficit into a 6-point lead, but the other 4 periods went 102-88 against them. McDaniels's -12 in 24 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/12 vs POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Towns at 24 a game. One day's rest. Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 99 a night and allowing 129, shooting 39 percent and 32 from three, 21 free throws a game; Grant at 17 and Simons at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Ayton (9 straight), Walker (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 109 a night to Portland's 129 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-2 a night and Portland minus-8. Call it Minnesota 120, Portland 104, Minnesota by 16.
1/14 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 104, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Towns at 24 and Edwards at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 110, shooting 52 percent and 44 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 27 and Leonard at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. They have won the glass by 4 a night. Without Tucker (22 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 44 percent from three to Minnesota's 38. Call it Minnesota 114, the Clippers 111, the Clippers keeping it close.
1/17 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Burks at 20 and Bogdanović at 20 a game. Without Cunningham (4 straight), Bogdanović (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 106, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Towns at 23 and Edwards at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 106 a night to Detroit's 124. Call it Minnesota 117, Detroit 111.
1/18 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 107, shooting 52 percent and 43 from three, 23 free throws a game; Towns at 24 and Edwards at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back. Memphis comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 112, shooting 43 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Bane at 23 and Jackson Jr. at 22 a game. Without Bane (2 straight), Rose (7 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 43 percent from three to Memphis's 35. Call it Minnesota 114, Memphis 109.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BOSAH A. Horford
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JH J. Holiday
JT J. Tatum
LK L. Kornet
OB O. Brissett
PP P. Pritchard
SH S. Hauser
MINAE A. Edwards
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. McLaughlin
KA K. Anderson
KT K. Towns
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
SM S. Milton
TB T. Brown Jr.
BOS/MIN the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
East-leading Celtics hold off West's best Timberwolves in OT, improve to 18-0 at home
BOSTON -- — 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.