Anthony Edwards scored eight of his 38 points in overtime, and the Minnesota Timberwolves sent the Boston Celtics to their first loss of the season with a 114-109 victory at Target Center on Monday night.
The Timberwolves' Collective Effort
Jaden McDaniels added 20 points, and Rudy Gobert added 14 points and 12 rebounds as Minnesota improved to 4-0 at home in its third straight win.
Naz Reid scored 10 of his 14 points in the first quarter and helped the Timberwolves overcome foul trouble for Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished with seven points in just 28 minutes before fouling out in overtime.
Gobert commented that they are a high-level team, capable of finding ways to stay in the game without giving up.
Although many things did not go as expected, every player who took the court was ready to play their role and contribute to the team. Jayson Tatum scored 32 points and Jaylen Brown chipped in with 26 for the Celtics. This had been Boston's best start in the last 13 years.
Kristaps Porzingis, who was questionable before the game due to a stye, scored 20 points. The Celtics were without starting point guard Derrick White for the second straight game due to personal reasons.
Boston coach Joe Mazzula mentioned that the team is very competitive and that the opponents always bring out the best in them. He stated that they competed at a high level, but noted that at times the opposing team's defensive toughness outweighed their own offensive toughness.
Neither led by more than eight points in a matchup of teams with the best offensive and defensive ratings at the start of the season.
ANT IS A FULL-FLEDGED SUPERSTAR ⭐️
Minnesota Timberwolves win over Boston Celtics 109-114
Anthony Edwards
38 PTS
8 REB
7 AST
60% TCHe already made the Nuggets and now Boston look mortal, quite surprising both results.
Minnesota is the best defense... pic.twitter.com/VSSw8wG2Il
- The Night MVP (@TheNightMVP) November 7, 2023
The Celtics did not raise their heads
The Celtics were third in the NBAshooting 50.1% from the field this season. Minnesota limited Boston to its worst shooting percentage of the season, 39.1%, including 11-of-29 on three-point shots, and a season-high 18 turnovers.
Mazzula pointed out that defensive pressure in general caused them problems on the offensive end. He considered this situation to be a valuable lesson for the team.
The game was an offensive stalemate at the end of regulation time, with McDaniels scoring the final points with a three-pointer for a 101-101 tie with 1:41 remaining.
In the last 90 seconds of regulation time, both teams missed five shots and committed four turnovers.
Mike Conley put Minnesota ahead to stay in overtime with a three-pointer at 106-105 with 3:08 to go, then Edwards hit three consecutive shots to end a 9-0 run.
McDaniels scored a jumper with 16 seconds left after Tatum had pulled the Celtics within three points.
Edwards hit 15-of-25 shots from the field and recorded nine rebounds and seven assists. According to Wolves head coach Chris Finch, Anthony Edwards excels in key moments of the game.
Although they acknowledge that they need to improve in terms of closing out games in regulation time, he noted that the players who stand out right now are rare and valuable, and they feel fortunate to have one on their team.
