Stellar NBA Game: Celtics vs Timberwolves Goes to Overtime with Stellar Performances

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (R) shoots over Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (L) during the first quarter of the NBA game between the Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, January 10, 2024.

Foto: EFE – CJ GUNTHER

The meeting between the leaders of the Eastern and Western Conferences of the NBA did not disappoint, after a fierce victory in overtime by the Celtics over Minnesota (127-120), with the stellar performance of Jayson Tatum, who scored 45 points, including 12 In extra time, it is worth resuming the confrontation and analyzing the profile of both squads.

The meeting of the two best records in the NBA, at the TD Garden in Boston, even with the losses of Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert, two undisputed starters in Minnesota, showed the best of the competition in the NBA. A close game with ten lead changes and ten ties during its development, seen by the contrast between the offensive schemes, while the Celtics adjusted to their model that privileges the long shot, Minnesota sought to attack the home team’s paint. From these diagrams, we could also see the adjustments of two of the best defenses in the NBA, which were solid, although not throughout the entire match, at specific moments.

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Boston led throughout the first half, even at the beginning of the third quarter, when the Minnesota defense managed to close the score with a couple of key defensive stops. Under this rhythm, neither team achieved a lead of more than ten points. , until the arrival of the last quarter, where the game remained open for both teams, and although Boston had the opportunity to win it in regulation time, Jayson Tatum missed a jump shot and the game went to overtime with a score of 111 a 111.

In the five minutes of extra basketball, the locals prevailed, Boston led the way from start to finish with a stellar Tatum, redeeming themselves for their mistakes in the last minute of the last regular quarter. His co-star Jaylen Brown also stood out in the game, finishing with 35 points and 11 rebounds. On the Minnesota side there was an effort from their offensive duo, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 25 points accompanied by 13 rebounds, while young superstar Anthony Edwards scored 29 points, efforts that were not enough to snatch victory from Boston at home.

Here is a detailed profile of both squads:

Boston Celtics: the most complete team in the NBA

After defeating Minnesota in overtime, the Celtics remain the only team that has not yet reached ten defeats (29-8), a superlative performance that they have managed to later rebuild and improve the squad with the additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday , an all-star caliber talent who teamed up with the star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, as well as key players like Derrick White and Al Horford, to follow the instructions of Joe Mazzulla and his particular style of play, where on offense The three-point shot is privileged, being the team that attempts the most shots from the three-point line, with 43 triples attempted per game according to Basketball Reference, while the defense relies on pressure and intensity to achieve turnovers in the rivals, a defensive scheme that benefits from the new acquisition of Jrue Holiday and the emergence of Derrick White to form the best perimeter defense in the NBA.

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The aforementioned approaches, in combination with the extraordinary talent of the squad, embodied in what could be called the best quintet in the NBA (White, Holiday, Brown, Tatum, Porzingis), ensure that Boston is in the Top 3 in offensive rating and NBA defensive performance, that is, being among the three teams with the best estimates of points scored and allowed per 100 possessions.

The leadership of the Eastern Conference, the accumulated experience of their star duo, the balance of the squad, the quality of the players and the effectiveness under Mazzulla’s style of play have put the Celtics in the discussion as a contender for the championship. The truth is that Boston has shown during this regular season that it is a well-oiled machine that can compete against any team in the NBA, in addition to having more experience accumulated in the Playoffs, which could benefit them when facing teams with Milwaukee Bucks or Miami Heat, who have proven to handle pressure situations as well or better than the rest in the Eastern Conference.

Boston will undoubtedly enter the postseason, provided they are relatively healthy, as the heavy favorite to take top honors, however, only the course of the postseason will be able to judge whether Mazzulla’s style of play and the surprising contributions of Role players like Derrick White will be able to adapt to the pressure.

Minnesota Timberwolves: the experiment is paying off

After a controversial move in the summer of 2022 in which Minnesota seized his future in exchange for three-time NBA Defensive Player Rudy Gobert and growing questions about how Karl-Anthony Towns and Gobert would fit With two not very versatile centers, Minnesota turned around the league’s perspective on its squad and so far, it has dominated the Western Conference.

The key to the Timberwolves’ performance this season, beyond having greater cohesion among the squad for having been playing regularly for more than one season, has to do with the step forward that Anthony Edwards has taken, the shooting guard who is only 22 years old has Demonstrated that he has the talent to be one of the next generation’s standout players, after an All-Star season, Edwards has built on his successful season, on a personal level, to lead his team. to the top of the Western Conference standings.

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proud of our fight.

Ant – 29 PTS / 6 REB / 3 AST
KAT – 25 PTS / 13 REB / 6 AST / 2 STL
Naz Reid. – 19 PTS / 10 REB / 3 AST / 3 BLK
Kyle – 17 PTS / 8 REB / 5 AST / 1 BLK / 1 STL
NAW – 15 PTS / 4 REB / 3 AST / 1 BLK / 1 STL pic.twitter.com/W6okmur1pj

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 11, 2024

Edwards’ offensive talent is complemented by the defensive consistency that the Minnesota squad has achieved, especially since Gobert has recovered his best level of recent years, and Karl-Anthony Towns has also found a better offensive rhythm, which He had not been seen since his first two seasons in the NBA.

However, unlike Boston, Minnesota does not have much postseason experience and, therefore, its top star, Anthony Edwards, has yet to know what it is like to win a postseason series, while his co-star, Rudy Gobert, is has shown, in some cases with his previous team, Utah Jazz, as a weakness depending on the pairing and type of offensive scheme they face, so it is logical to think that Minnesota, although with a great regular season performance, should try in the postseason if they are really ready to take the big step or still need to adjust their roster.

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2024-01-11 20:23:50
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