Inside The Celtics

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Timberwolves: Boston Adheres to Formula Needed to Raise Banner 18 to TD Garden Rafters

The Celtics produced 58 points in the paint and held the Timberwolves to 30 points or fewer in each quarter of Friday night's win.

Bobby Krivitsky

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
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Friday night, the Celtics snapped a three-game losing streak with a 121-109 win over the Timberwolves for their first victory since returning home to TD Garden.

Boston struggled to find its rhythm from beyond the arc, finishing 13/46 (28.3 percent), but didn't allow that to take away from its effort and focus defensively.

The Celtics held the Timberwolves to 30 points or fewer in each quarter. That included limiting their guests to 21 in the final frame. Those stops allowed Boston to play up-tempo, consistently generating points at the rim.

The Celtics produced 58 points in the paint in Friday's win. It's where most of the damage came from for Jaylen Brown, who scored a game-high 36 points, Jayson Tatum, who had 30, and Derrick White, whose aggressive approach helped keep Boston afloat before the hosts pulled away in the fourth quarter.

Now an exploration into what stood out as the Celtics got back in the win column.

Celtics' First Frame Performance Defined by a Sound Process and Disappointing Results

The way the Celtics started Friday's game is something this author had a lot of stock in with the bigger picture in mind.

Boston needed how it played in the second half of Wednesday's loss to the Pacers, when the hosts, led by Jayson Tatum, repeatedly challenged Indiana's defense. The result was 22 points in the paint in the final 24 minutes. Tatum provided 14 of those.

The Celtics know what the opposition's points of emphasis are and that, above all else, they have to play aggressively, with pace, and must take care of the ball.

When they're doing that, they're consistently creating quality shots; when they're not, their confidence tends to drop, and their defense suffers.

In Friday's first frame, Boston's process was sound. The Celtics often operated up-tempo, there was good on and off-ball activity, and they got to the rim, producing 14 points in the paint. Despite that, they had only 22 points to show for it.

But with threes not falling, Boston went 1/9 from beyond the arc, shooting an abysmal 36 percent from the field.

While Jaylen Brown and Tatum had five and four points, respectively, Derrick White stayed aggressive, generating three layups and registering a team-high eight points.

But along with shots not dropping, the Celtics committed five turnovers, leading to eight points for the Timberwolves.

Minnesota also got a terrific opening quarter from D'Angelo Russell. The visitors' floor general led all scorers with 13 points on 3/4 shooting and went 6/6 at the free-throw line. Russell also dished out four assists and grabbed three rebounds as the Timberwolves took a 29-22 lead into the second frame.

More Transition Opportunities Help Celtics Find Their Rhythm in Second Quarter

After holding their guests to 29 points in the first quarter, the Celtics were even better defensively in the second. Staying active and consistently contesting shots translated to Minnesota shooting under 43 percent from the field, including 3/10 from beyond the arc.

Those stops, including four Timberwolves turnovers, led to Boston generating nine fast-break points. 

Those opportunities helped the hosts find their rhythm, shooting 47.8 percent from the field and knocking down 5/12 threes (41.7 percent).

Al Horford scored all eight of his points in the second frame, including capitalizing on a pair of threes. Tatum chipped in six, entering halftime with a team-high ten points. He was the lone Boston player in double figures at the break.

The Celtics also helped their cause by doing a better job taking care of the ball, only committing three giveaways. The result was the visitors registered no fast-break points.

Minnesota did get ten points from Anthony Edwards, who entered halftime with 12, and got seven on second-chance opportunities.

But after Russell registered 13 points in the first quarter, Boston limited him to five in the second. However, he buried a three from above the break with 2.1 seconds left, giving the Timberwolves a 56-54 edge at halftime.

Celtics' Defense Allows Them to Live at the Rim in the Third Frame

The start of the third frame resembled the first. The Celtics created quality shots, but they weren't falling. It took until a White floater with 7:22 left for Boston to reach double digits for the period.

Brown, in particular, struggled, missing his first four shots. The impact was clear when he failed to match up with Edwards after making a pair of free throws, allowing the latter to step into an open three he capitalized on.

Fortunately for the hosts, after White and the Celtics' defense kept them afloat, Tatum, repeatedly attacking the basket, started to percolate.

Tatum produced 15 points in the period, leading Boston's 11-2 run that took them from down by five to leading 85-81 with 2:04 remaining in the quarter.

And while the hosts went 2/12 (16.7 percent) from beyond the arc, his shot chart is a testament to being primarily responsible for a balanced attack featuring 20 points in the paint, made possible by their defensive effort.

MIN vs BOS on 12_23_2022

The Celtics outscored the Timberwolves 14-7 to close the frame. That included a pair of right-corner threes by Horford, who was terrific at both ends of the court.

His second make from beyond the arc came on a play where Tatum drove from the left, kicked the ball out to Malcolm Brogdon at the opposite wing, and immediately swung the ball to Horford for a three to beat the buzzer. That gave Boston an 88-86 advantage entering the final 12 minutes.

Celtics at Their Best Defensively in the Final Frame

While Brown took and missed Boston's first shot of the period, after a Russell turnover, he responded by burying a three on the hosts next possession. It felt like he needed that after a rough third quarter.

The following time down the floor, Brown got to the basket on a change-of-pace drive, producing two points at the rim, giving the Celtics a 93-90 lead with 10:26 on the clock.

Those two possessions were the start of him scoring ten-straight points for the home team. Brown provided 23 of Boston's 33 points in the final frame, ending the night with a game-high 36.

And with the Celtics at their best defensively in the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves put only 21 points on the board. Maintaining one of the themes of this game, consistent stops translated to points at the rim.

Boston didn't match its 20 points in the paint from the third frame, but the Celtics scored 14 there in the fourth quarter, finishing with 58.

Those stops and repeatedly attacking the rim off them also played the primary role in the hosts taking 26 free throws, converting on 20.

And on a night where Joe Mazzulla told his team, "the best thing I thought we did, we just made tough plays," the Celtics turned 20 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points.

The way Boston won this game, overcoming poor shooting from beyond the arc, going 13/46 (28.3 percent), staying locked in defensively, consistently contesting shots -- Minnesota went 10/32 (31.3 percent) -- and maintaining an aggressive approach is how the Celtics need to play against the Bucks to earn a win on Christmas.

It's also critical to their championship aspirations.

Up Next

The Celtics host the Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in a Christmas showdown on Sunday. The game tips off at 5:00 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

Brad Stevens Shares His Early Evaluation of Joe Mazzulla

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Pacers: Boston Finds Itself in Second Half, But Can't Dig Out of 30-Point Hole

The Top 5 Plays from Wednesday's Celtics-Pacers Game

Rick Carlisle Has High Praise for Celtics' Sixth Man and Former Pacer Malcolm Brogdon

Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Opens up After Team Got Booed in Loss vs. Pacers

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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