BSJ Game Report: Celtics 145, Timberwolves 136 (OT) - Not the plan, but a win is a win

Everything you need to know about the Celtics 145-136 overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves with BSJ insight and analysis.

Box Score

Jayson Tatum drops a career-high (and they needed all of it). Tatum had 18 through two-and-a-half quarters. He finished with a career-high 53. The most impressive thing about it is that he went to the line 16 times and only missed once. 

At least they came back and won. Look, I get it. This game sucked for way too long. But, because I’m a ‘glass half-full’ kinda guy, I feel compelled to point out that unlike past [expletive deleted] performances where the comeback failed, this time they actually pulled it out. 

“I think both of the last two games have been pretty good as far as that goes,” Brad Stevens said. “I think that a lot of people deserve credit for that: Everybody on the court. The bench was really good, it was really loud. But I think that Tristan’s physical presence has given us a little more comfort in those moments that we can get stops, that we can get rebounds, that we can do those types of things. Then I think Smart, his voice has been great the last few games. I think that those things have really stood out to me.”

I can hear you from here, and you’re right. It never should have even gotten to this point. However, it’s a win, and a win they hadn't been getting earlier this year, so the Celtics will gladly take it. 

TURNING POINT

At 7:38 of the 3rd quarter, Tatum hit a reverse layup for his 20th point, cutting the Minnesota lead to 13. It started an avalanche from Tatum, who scored 17 points in the quarter and cut the lead as low as 2. 

SECOND GUESS

Tatum got the ball up one with about 20 seconds left in regulation for an uncontested dunk. There was only one Timberwolves player in the picture, so he probably should have pulled that out. A couple of passes around the horn and Minnesota would have had almost no time left to tie the game (assuming the Celtics got fouled and hit both free throws). 

TOP PLAY

Tatum’s 50th point of the night 

https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1380705931227508736

THREE UP 

Jayson Tatum: He is the youngest player in franchise history to reach the 50-point mark, beating Larry Bird by three years. However, Bird was 23 his rookie season. 

Here’s the fun stat: Bird dropped 53, a career high at the time, 72 games into his fourth season. It happened on March 30, 1983. 

Tatum’s career-high 53 comes on April 9, 46 games into his fourth season. It’s not ‘it happened on the same day’ freaky, but it’s kind of cool that it happened at basically the same point of their careers.

Jaylen Brown: A 26 point, 9-15 shooting, 5 rebound, 3 assist night is going to fly under the radar because of Tatum’s career high. However it was pretty cool for him to drop that late-game dunk for him realizing Tatum was on his way to 50. Those little things mean a lot to teammates.

“That’s big, and everybody recognizes how unselfish that was of him,” Tatum said. “Just to know the night I was having and he could easily scored it and we would have still had two points, it shows the growth in all of us. You know that in the moment, while we're trying to win a game, somebody has it going, we're happy for one another, and we enjoy each other's success.”

Marcus Smart: He hit big shots and made big plays. He also had 8 assists.

“It's just me being me. I'm a point guard and, you know, just try to take what the defense gives me and find the open guy,” Smart said. “Especially when guys get hot, you just try to make sure they get the ball as much as they can. When guys leave me to help, knocking down shots and making the right play. When I get the ball, whether that's driving to the rim or trying to get to the free-throw line and making that extra pass."

THREE DOWN

Kemba Walker: He hit a couple of important shots late in the game and had 9 assists, but he was a big culprit in the early struggles. Some of his turnovers were incredibly bad. It’s also further evidence that if Kemba’s not going early, there’s a strong chance Boston isn’t either. 

Robert Williams: Another struggle for Williams after he looked so good earlier in the homestand. He was off defensively, making some critical mistakes, including playing too far off of Karl-Anthony Towns on a clutch 3 late in the fourth. He wasn’t all bad, but he certainly isn’t what he was earlier in the week.

Romeo Langford: A rough night for him. He got benched early never came back in

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

If they turn the ball over like this on the road, they will get embarrassed. The Celtics have averaged 21 turnovers in the last three games. They survived two of those. They won’t be so lucky against Denver, Portland, and the Los Angeles Lakers. 

“We were loose again. We were too loose with the ball. I don’t know why that is,” Stevens said. “Everybody that’s played in the league knows (Ricky) Rubio is just like laying in the weeds trying to steal the ball. He’s unbelievable at reading plays, he’ll shoot the gap, he’s got all that stuff. ... We’ve got to get tougher with the ball. Most teams that want to do anything significant can’t turn it over.”

The Celtics have to clean that up or they'll be down 20-0 to the Nuggets before you know it. 

This should show Tatum how important it is to get to the line. He got 15 of his 53 points from the free-throw line. If he’s going to be one of the league’s elite, he needs to get to the line more often. 

“(I was) attacking a little bit more,” he said. “Then just knowing the bonus situation - we got them in the bonus a little bit early in a couple of those quarters.”

This is why it’s so important for the Celtics to attack the way they have been lately. The bonus free throws really add up. However, it was Tatum’s attacking that really stood out. 

“He did a good job attacking the rim on a couple different occasions. He found some matchups that he could do that,” Stevens said. “I think a lot of times—it’s not a lack of desire by those guys to get to the rim. It’s—sometimes it’s hard to get to the rim on certain guys and you can find matchups elsewhere that are maybe more advantageous to do so. I think he has grown in his ability to seek great shots, or seek higher-efficiency shots, throughout this season.”

Tatum fades away too often, which doesn’t really sell fouls because it’s hard to see how contact impacts a player when that player is already fading in one direction or another. Going up strong and taking the contact head on gets the officials’ attention. 

Hopefully Tatum recognizes this and continues to adjust his game.