The Celtics have leaned on their starters all year long and that remained the case again even with Kemba Walker sidelined. Four different Celtics scored 25 points or more in this one, carrying the visitors to a 127-117 win against the Wolves on Friday night. Gordon Hayward led the way with 29 points but the story of the night was Daniel Theis who piled up a career-high with 25 points and 16 rebounds in the victory to improve Boston to 12-2 in their last 14 games.
Jayson Tatum (28 points, 10 rebounds) and Jaylen Brown (25 points) also pitched in with big nights as the C's started off their west coast swing on a winning note. The road gets much tougher on Sunday afternoon with the Lakers looming in a nationally televised showdown.
WHO: Celtics (38-16) vs. Wolves (16-37)
WHEN: 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Target Center
RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub
TV: NBC Sports Boston
Celtics
PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Gordon Hayward
C: Daniel Theis
Wolves
G: D'Angelo Russell
G: Malik Beasley
F: Josh Okogie
F: Juancho Hernangomez
C: James Johnson
Pregame Notes
- Kemba Walker will miss tonight's game after having his left knee drained earlier this week to relieve swelling. He remains day-to-day for the remainder of the trip. Rob Williams is also out for the trip as he recovers from a hip injury.
- Karl Anthony-Towns is out for the Wolves with a sore wrist.
- Minnesota has lost 14 of their last 15 games overall but have completely overhauled nearly half of their roster at the trade deadline following the blockbuster acquisition of Russell for Andrew Wiggins.
- The Celtics have won 11 of their last 13 games overall, with Jayson Tatum averaging a team-best 25.0 ppg on 47 percent shooting in that run ahead of the All-Star Break.