In a matchup that featured the league’s top-rated defense taking on the top-rated offense, defense prevailed, with the Minnesota Timberwolves handing the Celtics their first loss of the season 114-109 in overtime.
It was far from pretty, as the teams totaled a combined 39 turnovers and 42 fouls. Despite the sloppy play, it was a fun one at the Target Center that saw 17 lead changes.
Minnesota’s defense made things difficult for Boston all night, as the C’s shot a season-worst 36-of-92 (39.1%) from the field and 11-of-39 (28.2%) from three. It marked the first time this season the Celtics shot under 40% from the field.
Anthony Edwards led the way for the Wolves, finishing the night with 38 points on 15-of-25 (60%) shooting. Edwards also grabbed nine boards and dished out a game-high seven assists.
The 22-year-old stepped up when it mattered most, exploding for eight points in overtime, which matched Boston’s total as a team. Edwards scored or assisted on 11 of Minnesota’s 13 points in OT. The Timberwolves have now knocked off both the Celtics and Denver Nuggets this season.
Here are three takeaways as the Celtics drop to 5-1 on the season.
Offense struggles
Jayson Tatum, who finished with 32 points on 12-of-22 (54.5%) shooting, and Jaylen Brown, who finished with 26 points on 10-of-23 (47.6%) shooting, were really the only two sources of offensive production for the Celtics Monday night.
Outside of the Jays, the C’s totaled just 51 points, shooting a combined 14-of-49 (28.5%).
The Celtics also turned the ball over 16 times, as the turnover rate continues to be a concern. Through the first six games, Boston is coughing the ball up an average of 14.7 times per game.
Boston's offense missed Derrick White on Monday night, who was out for the second consecutive game following the birth of his son. White has done a tremendous job this season facilitating Boston’s offense and has shown he can knock down big shots when needed, something the Celtics could have used Monday night.
Porzingis not involved down the stretch
It was a frustrating night for Kristaps Porzingis, as he found himself in foul trouble for most of the second half and picked up his fifth of the night at the 2:51 mark of the third quarter.
The 7-foot-3 big man was almost nonexistent down the stretch for Boston. Porzingis got just one look in the fourth quarter and overtime, and it didn’t come until the C’s were down by seven with 56 seconds remaining in overtime – It resulted in a foul by Rudy Gobert foul that sent Porzingis to the line.
Porzingis was the only other Celtic outside of Tatum and Brown to get anything going offensively, as he finished with 20 points on 5-of-14 (35.7%) shooting.
Sure, the foul trouble likely played a role in his lack of involvement, but that’s a spot the Celtics need to get him involved, especially with Karl-Anthony Towns fouled out. Instead, they settled for iso ball, and it came back to haunt them.
Bad habits resurface
Boston’s improvement regarding closing out games has been one of the most encouraging developments this season, and for most of the fourth quarter Monday night, it looked like it was going to be more of the same.
After shooting 35.2% from the field and 24.1% from deep in the first three quarters, the Celtics, led by Jayson Tatum’s 12 points, shot 64.3% from the field and 57.1% from deep in the fourth quarter and jumped out to a three-point lead with two minutes to go on a Jaylen Brown three.
However, Jaden McDaniels answered with a three of his own on the ensuing possession knotting the game back up at 101 a piece.
Over the final 1:40, both teams went scoreless. Boston was 0-of-2 shooting and turned the ball over twice, including a brutal one from Al Horford on which he lost his handle and fell out of bounds.
Despite the offensive woes down the stretch, the Celtics were able to string together enough stops and force overtime. But things got away from the Celtics quickly in overtime, as Minnesota went on a 9-0 run after Boston made the first bucket.
The C’s got away from the things that have made them successful down the stretch, as Tatum, Brown, and Jrue Holiday were playing too much isolation, a major factor in Boston’s 2-of-7 (28.6%) shooting performance in overtime.
The Celtics finished with more turnovers (4) than they had buckets (2) in the final two minutes of regulation and all of overtime.
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