BSJ Game Report: Timberwolves 114, Celtics 109 - Anthony Edwards goes off, hands Boston first loss

Everything you need to know about the Celtics loss to the Timberwolves, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

Boston opened the game with two of the best possessions you’ll ever see, but the Timberwolves didn’t let that (or a vicious posterization of Rudy Gobert by Jaylen Brown) get them down. Naz Reid’s big first quarter helped give them an early lead, and Anthony Edwards kept them close when Brown and Jayson Tatum threatened to build a lead in the second. The third quarter was a disjointed mess but Tatum helped the Celtics climb back into it, but their late-game execution was not great, and in overtime it really fell apart as Edwards carried Minnesota to the win.

Box Score

HEADLINES

Lack of execution: The Celtics looked like a different team over the first five games but they fell back into some old habits in this one. They relied too much on isolation too often late in the game, they turned the ball over too much, and they got away from things that worked. 

Anthony Edwards is a star: There isn’t a lot of national love for the Timberwolves, but after his performance this summer at the FIBA World Cup, there has been a lot of love for Edwards. This was a big-time performance from a big-time player. The Celtics probably should have attacked him with more double teams, since those seemed to bother him a little. 

They miss Derrick White: White really gets everyone settled. He has been the guy initiating offense for the Celtics. In the first two games of the season when the games were close, White was setting things up and hitting big shots. 

Yeah, yeah, you don’t have to yell it so loudly … a team with Tatum and Brown shouldn’t need White to handle all that, but the fact is that with White handling the ball, it allows Tatum and Brown to do what they do best. 

TURNING POINT

Minnesota went on a 9-0 run early in overtime, including three straight buckets by Edwards that damn near brought the whole house down, to turn a two-point deficit into a seven-point lead. 

Bonus shout-out to the TWolves holding their own when Edwards sat for the final seven minutes of the third quarter with foul trouble. The game was tied when he left. Minnesota led by five by the end of the quarter. The Celtics' inability to win those minutes set up the rest.

THINGS I LIKED

Lessons! Call me a lunatic, but I think failures at this point of the season are good for a team as good as Boston. Even a 60-win team has to lose 22 times, and if some of those losses can produce a nice, embarrassing film session, then I think it’s worth it. 

This dunk on Rudy Gobert: 

I can’t see that thing enough. 

Turnovers: They forced 24 Wolves turnovers, leading to 26 points. The Celtics have not been great at that so far this season, so it was good to see.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

Turnovers: 18 Boston turnovers for 20 Wolves points negated most of the defense Boston played. Protect the ball and this game is over midway through the fourth.

Lack of poise: The Celtics looked rushed down the stretch, playing way too fast and out of control. Where was the poise? Where were the post ups? Where was Porzingis?

Lack of recognition: The real turning point of this game was when Chris Finch was able to pull Edwards from the third quarter of the game with four fouls. He played nearly three minutes, scoring six points, and Boston never once targeted him with a post up or anything that might get him a fifth foul. They finally got that in the fourth quarter, but they didn’t capitalize on that either. 

HIGHLIGHTS

THREE TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Both teams had bigs in foul trouble. Both situations hurt Boston: Porzingis was actually having a big impact on the game before his foul trouble. I thought he was having a very strong positive impact on the game, despite his being a -7 on the night. That suffered from the late game/overtime execution that wasn’t much of his fault. I think if Porzingis hadn’t been in foul trouble, the Celtics would have won that game. 

I can say the same for Karl-Anthony Towns, who was really hurting his team with shot selection early on. Naz Reid came into the game and changed the entire dynamic of the first quarter, which may not have happened had Towns not been in foul trouble. 

- They need to add a bench piece: This roster will not be the one that goes into the playoffs. I’m still torn about which position needs the most upgrading, but the bench needs some more help, and I’m sure Brad Stevens will go find it.

- I’m 100% on board not calling the timeout in overtime: I don't care what Mazzulla said after the game. I absolutely believe he held onto his timeouts to see if his team could respond in the face of Edwards going off down the stretch in a hostile environment. 

This is what they prepared for in training camp, yet I didn’t see them calmly execute anything. The Celtics played to the frantic nature of the moment and not the calming rhythm of their own offense. 

Mazzulla is taking this team to Philadelphia and making them sit through a film session that should pick all of these guys apart. It’s going to destroy everybody. And I’m all for it. 

Now’s the best time to do it. Even if it means a loss or two, teach the lessons now. 

Next up: The Celtics finish up their road trip in Philadelphia Wednesday night.