When the Celtics and Timberwolves met in early November, Anthony Edwards erupted for 38 points, putting the game out of reach in overtime when he scored or assisted on 11 of Minnesota’s 13 points, handing the Celtics their first loss of the season. Fueled by determination, the Celtics were determined not to let that happen again Wednesday night.
“My whole thing was, not tonight,” Jaylen Brown said following Boston’s 127-120 win in overtime. “We can’t let him [Edwards] do what he’s been doing to everybody else, to us — especially after the first matchup. I think he got the best of us in that first matchup, and tonight, we wasn’t having it.”
Brown, who has been vocal about his All-Defensive Team aspirations, completely shut down the All-Star guard down the stretch, as Edwards finished with a mere five points on 1-of-7 (14.2%) shooting and three turnovers in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“Being more committed to that side of the ball, I think that adds to winning,” Brown said when discussing his defense postgame. “It’s in my wheelhouse. I feel like I can be one of the better defenders on the planet. I just gotta keep improving.”
The final turnover of Edwards’ nightmarish finish came as the clock ticked under a minute in overtime. Jrue Holiday blitzed Edwards as he attempted to run a pick-and-pop with Naz Reid, forcing Edwards to the sideline. Right as Edwards rounded Reid’s hip, Derrick White was there to keep him in front – resulting in a picture-perfect trap by “The Stock Exchange” and a steal by Holiday.
Upon stealing the ball, Holiday pushed the pace and found a wide-open Jayson Tatum on the wing. Tatum knocked down the three, gave a mean mug to the crowd, and emphatically delivered his signature 'Kiss of death' celebration, sending the Garden faithful into a frenzy.
The triple was one of the six Tatum poured in on the night, as the future-five-time All-Star poured in 45 points – 26 of which came in the game’s final 13 minutes.
It marked the eighth game in Tatum’s career in which he scored at least 45 points, which is second behind only Larry Bird (17) for the franchise record.
“The mode you saw him going tonight, that’s him,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame on Tatum. “I think that’s part of where we have to grow as a staff, and where he needs to grow is, like, we want to see that all the time. We shouldn’t have to wait until a tie game to see that.”
“He has another level he can get to. It’s how much we can get him there,” the bench boss added.
Trailing by seven with a little over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Celtics looked dead in the water. After another lackluster third quarter, Boston found themselves scrambling to make up ground in the final period — a challenging comeback effort that Minnesota countered with an answer for nearly every Boston bucket.
That was until Tatum stepped up and willed Boston to victory with another one of his signature performances.
“Tonight was just find a way to win,” Tatum said postgame. “That’s what I just kept telling myself. Find a way to win this game.”
It was Tatum and Brown (35 points) that kept the Celtics afloat most of the game, as the All-NBA duo combined for 80 points on 22-of-42 (52.3%) shooting, snagged a combined 15 rebounds (11 from Brown), and dished out five assists.
Brown has now scored 30 or more points in three consecutive games for the first time in his career.
In total, the Jays scored or assisted on 27 of Boston’s 39 made field goals (69.2%). Their 80 combined points are the most they have ever combined for in a game, with the Celtics advancing to 26-2 when they each record at least 30 points.
The dynamic duo of Tatum and Brown did more than their fair share to keep Boston in the game before additional key contributions came from their fellow stars – White and Holiday to send the game to overtime.
Examining the box score, the numbers paint a stark picture. It was a challenging outing for Boston's backcourt duo of Holiday and White.
However, the All-Defensive guards stepped up big when Boston needed them most.
White drew a charge on Minnesota's Nickeil Alexander-Walker, granting Boston possession with 1:55 remaining. This turnover led to a Tatum step-back three on the other end, bringing the Celtics within a possession.
After a handful of scoreless trips down the floor, Tatum was fouled by Karl-Anthony Towns on a baseline jumper, earning a trip to the line for two shots and a chance to tie the game.
Following a make on the first free throw, Tatum missed the second, but White was there to clean up the mess, soaring in from the wing and snatching the offensive rebound – keeping the possession alive for Boston which led to a go-ahead corner three from Holiday.
Prior to the make, Holiday was shooting was 1-of-7 from distance. Without this sequence, Tatum's heroics wouldn’t have been possible.
The win earns the 2023-24 Celtics a spot in the record books, as they set a new franchise record for the most consecutive home wins to start a season with their perfect 18-0 record. Mazzulla shares credit with the TD Garden crowd for this remarkable achievement.
“There’s been two times that I’ve actually showed I have a pulse,” Mazzulla said. “Tonight was one of them because of the crowd. I’m not going to say we’re 18-0 without that. I’ve talked about this before a little bit, like we want to create this identity playing Celtic basketball because the fans are really smart.”
“They know when we suck and they’ve seen great basketball for long periods of time,” Mazzulla added. “Usually they’re cheering because you’re doing something right, and over the course of this season we’ve seen moments of greatness, moments of Celtic basketball and I think they’ve responded to that really well.”
The previous record had been held since the 1957-58 season, a team led by Bill Russell, who had Tommy Heinsohn, Bob Cousy, and Sam Jones alongside as teammates.
“There have been a lot of great teams that have opened up and played in the Garden,” Brown said. “For us to have the best start ever in franchise history, I think that says a lot about the group. So, it’s an honor to be in that regard, and let’s keep it going.”
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