The two best teams in the league met last night in Massachusetts and the Wolvesorphans of Mike Conley but also Rudy Gobert, were tackling a mountain since the Celticsalthough deprived of Kristaps Porzingis, were undefeated at home.
Despite three notable absences, this clash at the top kept all its promises, because the decision was made in overtime, as in their first clash of the season. This extension, Boston also went to get it, at the cost of a 14-3 inflicted on Minnesota in the last three minutes, beforeAnthony Edwards (29 points) does not tremble with two throws to snatch the five minutes of extra time in question.
Finally, in “back-to-back” and after a tumultuous journey from Orlando, the Wolves of Karl-Anthony Towns (25 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists) and Naz Reid (19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) let go, weapons in hand (127-120). It must be said that the 45 points of Jayson Tatum as well as the 35 points and 11 rebounds of Jaylen Brown hurt them a lot!
The Celtics maintain their invincibility at home by especially showcasing their strength of character in this XXL poster.
TO REMEMBER
– Boston, rushed but miraculous. Eighteen matches, eighteen victories. This is the Celtics' record at home this season. However, we believed that Wolves were going to end their invincibility at home, after having already inflicted their first defeat of the season on them in November. Except that the teammates of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown held on, tightened the screw in defense and trusted what they mastered in attack (3-points/throws/isolation) to overthrow Minnesota and its Edwards/Towns tandem.
– These Wolves are resourceful. Even deprived of their axis Mike Conley – Rudy Gobert, in “back-to-back” and arriving in Boston at the very beginning of the afternoon only from Orlando, the Wolves were able to look the Celtics straight in the eyes, in possession of the best record in the league. The defeat hurts and is hard to take, especially when we remember that they were at +9 three minutes from the end, but Chris Finch's men showed admirable combativeness, in a hostile atmosphere. Some still doubt their credibility for the title, but the Minnesota players clearly seem cut out to go far…
– A gala match. Few regular season games are now capable of thrilling us in this way, but this Celtics/Wolves certainly lived up to this description. From start to finish, both teams offered us great basketball, going shot for shot almost systematically, defending hard (despite what the score might suggest), playing cleanly offensively (17 turnovers in total, minimum 40 % at 3-points and 90% at free throws each) or letting the stars make the difference in hot moments. We'd happily ask for seven more like that in June!
TOP/FLOP
✅ Jayson Tatum. Rarely mentioned in the discussion for the MVP, “Jay” demonstrated that he was a credible candidate for the statuette, achieving what amounts to a “statement game” in the clash between the two best teams in the country. Not content with having equaled his season record in scoring, the Celtics winger also allowed himself to be decisive in key moments. Like when he brought his team back from nowhere at the end of the fourth quarter, or when he planted the two baskets that knocked out the Wolves at the end of overtime. “MVP!” » chanted the TD Garden, while it was still 19 points at the start of the last act…
⛔️ Jaden McDaniels. Undoubtedly the least successful player in the Wolves five. Although he is certainly there primarily to defend, we were nevertheless entitled to expect a little more than 5 points (at 2/8, including 1/4 at 3-points) from McDaniels, in the absence of the Conley/Gobert pair. Especially since he was also guilty of six fouls, which necessarily limited his minutes (24), spending only a few seconds on the floor in overtime, where he would probably have been useful in trying to contain Jayson Tatum .
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
