Everything you need to know about the Celtics beating the Wolves 115-102 in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis.
Box Score
HEADLINES
Gordon Hayward erupts with Kyrie sidelined: With Kyrie Irving out with scratched eyes, the Celtics needed to look elsewhere for scoring to keep pace with the offensive-minded Wolves. Gordon Hayward came off the bench to do just that for the second straight game against Minnesota, posting a season-high 35 points on 14-of-18 shooting from the field. He also set a season-high with four makes from 3-point range, carrying Boston’s offense for the final three quarters after missing his first two shots of the game. Four other Celtics scored in double figures but none of them added more than 16 points as Hayward proved to be the difference in holding off a Minnesota rally in the second half.
Terry Rozier shines again in starting role:
The fourth-year guard continues to look like a bigger player when he’s handed more minutes. With Irving sidelined, Rozier made his third start of the year and was a force early on in this contest, scoring 11 of his 16 points in the first quarter on 5-of-5 shooting. He also was an effective facilitator and extremely active on the defensive end (season-high five steals) which enabled the Celtics to get out on the fast break early and often (23-10 edge in transition points).
Best shooting night of the year for Boston:
A lot of it came on the back of Hayward’s scoring but eight of 10 rotation players for Boston shot 50 percent or better from the field tonight as the C’s set a new season-high with 59 percent shooting from the field. They also tied their season-high with 34 assists, showing some of their best ball movement of the year with their top scorer on the sidelines. That type of output helped the hosts overcome 31 points from Andrew Wiggins and 28 points from Karl-Anthony Towns and improve to 20-3 at home while Irving is sidelined over the past two seasons.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics opened up the second quarter with a 22-6 run despite playing with limited offensive options as Irving, Al Horford, and Jayson Tatum were all sidelined during the stretch. Some timely 3-point shooting by the bench unit enabled the Celtics to build a 20-point lead they were able to ride for the final 24 minutes to victory with Minnesota getting no closer than six the rest of the way.
TWO UP
Hayward:
The man loves playing the Timberwolves as he’s put together his two best performances of 2018-19 against Minnesota. After erupting for 30 points against them in December, he snapped out of a seven-game shooting slump (4-of-17 from 3) by knocking down four attempts from beyond the arc on his way to a 35-point scoring night. With Tatum struggling and Irving out, he played like a No. 1 scoring option over the final three quarters.
Terry Rozier:
The point guard’s strong outputs as a starter continues. He made his first five shots of the night on his way to an 11 point first quarter that set the tone for Boston’s offense from the early going. His defensive presence was also a factor all night in getting Boston easy buckets as he flirted with his season-high with five steals.
TWO DOWN
Jayson Tatum:
Some passive play by the 20-year-old as he took just six shots during the first three quarters despite the fact the C’s were down their best scorer. He scored in single digits for the third time in four games and also made a minimal impact in other facets of the game, (three rebounds). Over the past five games, he’s shooting just 2-of-18 from 3-point range.
Celtics’ third-quarter defense:
One game after surrendering the most third-quarter points in 18 years as a franchise, the hosts were nearly as bad against the Wolves in the third. Led by a resurgent Towns (20 points in the frame), the Wolves nearly matched their first-half total of 42 points by putting up a 39 spot in the quarter behind 69 percent shooting. A shoulder strain for Marcus Smart (which sidelined him for extended minutes) did not help during this stretch but it was a lackluster letdown by C’s.
TOP PLAY
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Al Horford remains essential for his post defense:
It was hard for the Celtics to contain Towns for the 24 minutes Horford was on the bench, but the veteran center did a masterful job making life tough for the All-Star down low despite giving up 4 inches in the matchup. Horford’s ability to time out contests and guess right on certain post up moves prevented Towns from taking over this game entirely. As long as Aron Baynes remains out, the Celtics are really going to have to win Horford’s minutes every night (plus-10 against the Wolves) since there is such a sharp downgrade behind him in Daniel Theis and Guerschon Yabusele.
An extended absence from Marcus Morris would be a problem:
Aron Baynes
Al Horford
