MINNEAPOLIS — — Jayson Tatum had 33 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and the Boston Celtics beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-115 on Thursday night.
Derrick White scored 26 points for Boston, while Sam Hauser – replacing the injured Jaylen Brown – hit five 3-pointers and scored 15 points.
Julius Randle led Minnesota with 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Naz Reid added 20 points off the bench, while Jaden McDaniels had 19 points and eight rebounds.
The Timberwolves trailed by eight with two minutes left, but they had a chance to advance to overtime. However, Anthony Edwards' 3-pointer failed at the buzzer.
Takeaways
Celtics: After winning 16 of its first 19 games, Boston was 8-6 in December. A win at Minnesota was a great way to kick off a four-game road trip to start 2025.
Timberwolves: Minnesota started the week with a chance to test itself against one of the big hitters from each conference. After a 113-105 loss in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, the Timberwolves failed against the Celtics.
Key moment
With the Celtics leading 46-45 midway through the second quarter, Tatum made the second of two free throws, then made 3-pointers on Boston's next two possessions. It was part of a 16-6 run to close the second quarter, sending the Celtics into the locker room with a 62-51 lead.
Key statistic
Boston committed just four turnovers while the Timberwolves turned it over 16 times on the night.
To be continued
The Celtics travel to Houston on Friday while the Timberwolves face the Pistons in Detroit on Saturday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
