The Boston Celtics pulled off what might be their best win of the season against the Minnesota Timberwolves, clinching a 118-115 victory. This game was a masterclass in strategic basketball, especially that second quarter – pure poetry in motion.
Let’s break down why this win was so impressive. We were without Kristaps Porziņģis and Jaylen Brown, facing a fully healthy Minnesota squad. Yet, we managed to neutralize Anthony Edwards defensively and exploit Rudy Gobert’s weaknesses with Jayson Tatum’s attacking.
The game plan was spot-on, and our execution was even better. We protected the ball like it was made of gold, committing only four turnovers for a measly four points. Meanwhile, we forced the Timberwolves into 16 turnovers, converting them into a whopping 22 points. That’s the game right there, folks.
Minnesota was on fire from beyond the arc, shooting an insane 54% on threes. They also dominated us at the free-throw line, outscoring us by 16 points there. But here’s the kicker – we still won. How? Volume, baby. We put up 92 field goal attempts to their 74, allowing us to overcome their hot shooting.
Defensively, we weren’t perfect, but we were damn good. We had a few lapses and made some questionable decisions on double teams, but overall, this was a vast improvement from some of our recent defensive showings.
The real story of the night was how we attacked Rudy Gobert. It was relentless. We forced Minnesota to bench their Defensive Player of the Year for the entire fourth quarter. That’s how effective our offense was. We gave Gobert no place to hide – whether on Jrue Holiday or Al Horford, we hunted that matchup and exploited it mercilessly.
Tatum was phenomenal, finishing with 33 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds. But don’t sleep on Derrick White’s clutch performance in the fourth quarter, dropping 13 of his 26 points when it mattered most.
For more insights and a deeper dive into this thrilling Celtics victory, tune into the Locked On Celtics podcast for this and much more.
Other Topics in Today’s Locked On Celtics Podcast:
• The second quarter brilliance and how the Celtics took control
• Jrue Holiday’s underrated contribution
• Anthony Edwards’ post-game comments and what they reveal
