After two big wins earlier in the week, the Boston Celtics failed to extend their win streak to three games, falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 119-115.
Here's what stood out:
It is really hard to win when threes don’t fall
The Celtics were in control of this game for 24 minutes. Jaylen Brown had it going, Neemias Queta couldn’t be stopped, and they were rolling. For the other 24 minutes, they were in shambles. A large part of that was the three-point line turning its back on them.
They were 9-22 (40.9%) in the first half, then shot just 7-24 after the break.
Meanwhile, the Wolves got red hot and made 12 of 23 attempts over the final two quarters, including a ridiculous dagger by Anthony Edwards to give the Wolves a six-point lead with 15 seconds to play.
Welcome back Neemias Queta
Celtics center Neemias Queta made his return to the lineup on Saturday, after missing Boston’s Wednesday win over the Detroit Pistons with an ankle sprain. It’s safe to say that the Portuguese big man is doing okay.
He made an immediate impact in this game, making his presence felt all over the floor in the first quarter. Before the first TV timeout even rolled around, Queta had already tallied eight points and seven rebounds. He did a great job of holding onto passes and rebounds through traffic, and stayed calm enough to finish off the glass.
By halftime, he’d logged a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds and then finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds -- quite the way to return to action.
Jaylen Brown was on a mission
Much like Queta, Jaylen Brown came out of the gates on fire. His 19-point first quarter was pretty hilarious considering that he was initially listed as questionable to play in this game with a lower back spasm.
He capped off the on-fire frame with a stepback buzzer-beater three over Timberwolves center Naz Reid.
By halftime, he had already poured in 27 points to go along with five assists, four rebounds, and three steals.
If there was ever any doubt of his importance, just go rewatch the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. Boston scored just two points during that stretch, and their offense looked absolutely lost without him.
He finished the night with 41 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and five steals.
The Killer Whale Offense is alive and well
For those who aren’t familiar, Joe Mazzulla’s “Killer Whale Offense” consists of hunting the “seals” or weak defenders on the opposing team and attacking them relentlessly. It’s exactly what the Cs did to veteran Timberwolves guard Mike Conley in this one.
Whenever Conley checked in off Minnesota’s bench, Boston was sure to get him involved in their actions. The strategy was huge in building their 10-point lead heading into the halftime break.
Josh Minott was Joe Mazzulla’s favorite backup big man option
It’s as the heading reads. Once Queta was activated for the matchup in Minnesota, many wondered what the Celtics would do behind him. On Wednesday, Amari Williams saw the bulk of the center minutes, with Josh Minott and Jordan Walsh playing a decent dose of small-ball five.
Luka Garza started, but wasn’t consistently featured throughout that win.
On Saturday, the choice was more Minott. The former Timberwolves forward had some nice moments in this game. His third-quarter stretch was impressive, as he played some good defense, made a tough three, and even got involved on the glass on a putback layup.
He wasn’t perfect, though. There were a few second-half possessions where he was asked to do a little too much on offense, and got forced into taking some tough floaters.