The Boston Celtics picked up a 118-115 win on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center to improve their record to 25-9 on the season. The Timberwolves continue struggling to become a top-six team in the West, with their record now falling to 17-16.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics’ with 33 points (13-27 FG), eight rebounds, nine assists, and three steals. Derrick White had 26 points (10-20 FG) while Sam Hauser scored 15 points (5-11 3P) with every shot attempt being a three. They got solid production from their eight-man rotation despite the absences of Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis.
Julius Randle was the best player for the Timberwolves, putting up 27 points (9-16 FG), eight rebounds, and seven assists. He was the only starter with a positive plus-minus (+10). Naz Reid had 20 points (6-11 FG) while Jaden McDaniels had 19 points (6-12 FG) and eight rebounds. Anthony Edwards capped off a disappointing night with 15 points (5-16 FG) and six assists, missing a wide-open game-tying three at the end.
Let’s analyze the game and examine this clash’s major takeaways.
Celtics Shot Volume Is Hard To Overcome
The 2024-25 Celtics are among the greatest offenses in NBA history, letting shots fly from all over the court. Given the roster’s shooting depth, this is their best way to ensure wins, and it worked against the Timberwolves tonight.
Boston shot 46-92 (50.0 FG%) from the field, with 57 of them being three-point attempts. They made 22 of their threes (38.6 3P%), which is a decent conversion night for them but not one of their best.Â
The Timberwolves were shooting extremely accurately, going 21-39 from beyond the arc (53.8 3P%), but it made little difference. They went 37-74 from the field (50.0 FG%), losing a three-point game where their opponents shot 18 more field goal attempts, with those 18 coming from three-point range.Â
Even with above 50% accuracy from the three-point line and going 20-22 from the free-throw line, the Wolves just couldn’t overcome the shot volume of the Celtics in a three-point loss.
Turnovers Make A Huge Impact
When we see the team’s shooting numbers, we need to analyze how it was just a three-point game at the end despite the Celtics having 18 more shot opportunities. Boston created those opportunities with their incredible on-ball defense entirely outclassing the Timberwolves on that end, especially in terms of forcing turnovers.
Minnesota committed 15 turnovers while Boston had just three, a gap that is almost impossible to overcome for most teams. The Wolves red-hot shooting helped them stay in the game, but a 15-3 turnover difference is lethal. Julius Randle picked up the only Timberwolves steal in the entire game, while Boston had nine as a team.Â
The turnovers allowed the Celtics to create easy scoring opportunities in transition before the Wolves’ defense could settle in their spots. They shot above-the-break threes which went in inconsistently, but the fact they kept creating those opportunities helped them continue breaking the Wolves down.
Minnesota thoroughly out-rebounded the short-handed Celtics (41-31) but Boston pushed the pace all evening and the Wolves struggled to match up as the night went on. Their sloppy on-ball play was definitely one of the biggest culprits for them tonight.
Anthony Edwards Is Looking Overwhelmed
Anthony Edwards hasn’t looked like the All-NBA star we expect him to be off late. He’s averaging 16.3 points (35.8 FG%) in the last three games where the Wolves have gone 1-2. He’s supposed to be completing his leap to superstardom this season, not getting outplayed by Julius Randle in their important games.Â
His stat line of 15 points (5-16 FG, 2-9 3P) with two turnovers won’t cut it. If he was even slightly better, the Wolves probably could’ve won this game tonight.
The Timberwolves’ roster isn’t equipped to support Edwards through an 82-game season. Mike Conley’s days as starting-caliber point guard seem to be in the rearview mirror while Donte DiVincenzo has been far too inconsistent in that role himself. Randle has been delivering on the box score but his frontcourt fit next to Rudy Gobert, who has also declined this season, has been extremely awkward.
Edwards is the sole perimeter force on this team and he’s carrying the fatigue from it right now. It might be high time for the Wolves to make some team-changing trades to create a better environment of success for their young star. He’s still just 23 years old, so the Wolves have years of contention with him ahead of them. That won’t be the case if they continue mismanaging the roster around him.
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