At 8:30 on January 3, Beijing time, in the 2024-25 NBA regular season, the Boston Celtics narrowly defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-115. In this game, the two sides made a total of 43 of 96 three-point shots.

Statistics

Celtics: Tatum 33 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals, White 26 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, Hauser 15 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, Holiday 11 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals;

Timberwolves: Edwards 15 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, Randle 27 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, Reed 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, McDaniels 19 points and 8 rebounds, DiVincenzo 12 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists;

Background

The Celtics had a 24-9 regular season record and a winning rate of 72.7%, ranking second in the East; The Timberwolves previously had a 17-15 regular season record and a 53.1% win rate, ranking 8th in the West. The Celtics beat the Raptors 125-71 in their last game, in which Pritchard shot 5-of-8 from three-point range, hitting at least five three-pointers in a single game for the 15th time this season, the most in the league. The Celtics will now embark on a Western Conference tour, where they will face the Timberwolves, Rockets, Thunder and Nuggets in quick succession. In this game, Jaylen Brown and Porzingis were both absent due to physical reasons.

The course of the game

At the beginning of the first quarter, McDaniels scored consecutive points on an inside and outside shot and Randle hit a three-pointer, and the Timberwolves led the team to a 13-5 run. Tatum continued to score points on inside and outside shots, and the Celtics struggled to chase the points, but Conley and McDaniels hit three-pointers to help the Timberwolves temporarily stabilize the situation. Then, the two sides launched a battle on the outside, with Pritchard, Holiday and Reed and Edwards taking turns to shoot three-pointers, and the situation on the court was very stalemate. Immediately after, the two sides alternated points through free throws and interior ball-holding offenses, and when Pritchard made 1 of 2 free throws, the Celtics trailed by 5 points. At the end of the quarter, Minot made 2 fouls and 2 free throws. At the end of the first quarter, the Timberwolves held a seven-point advantage.

Entering the second quarter, the two sides once again attacked on the outside, although DiVincenzo and Randle hit three-pointers respectively, but the Celtics led the team to a wave of scoring climaxes by Hauser hitting three three-pointers in a row to tie the score at 43-43. In the following period, the Timberwolves felt cold, and the Celtics seized the opportunity to instigate an onslaught, Pritchard, Tatum, and White hit three-pointers one after another, and the Celtics launched a wave of 13-4. Edwards held the ball and hit a layup to stop the bleeding for the Timberwolves, but the Celtics quickly responded with counterattack layups and mid-range jumpers. At the end of the quarter, McDaniels scored on a throw-in. At halftime, the Celtics 62-51 Timberwolves.

In the rematch, Holiday took the lead in shooting a three-pointer, and the Timberwolves immediately led the team to a wave of 9-3 by Randle's outside shot and internal attack. In the following period, Hauser hit an outside three-pointer to stop the bleeding for the Celtics, but the Timberwolves continued their hot hand with McDaniels hitting consecutive three-pointers to close the deficit to four points. Then, Kornet scored on a throw-in and Tatum scored on a dunk, and the Celtics stabilized the situation a little. Reed hit a three-pointer, and Tatum hit a three-pointer to extend the Celtics' lead to 13 points. At the end of the quarter, the Timberwolves continued to score points and successfully approached the score. At the end of the third quarter, the Celtics had a six-point advantage, and Tatum scored 16 points in the quarter.

In the final quarter, the Timberwolves continued to score points through free throws and outside three-pointers in the opening stage to take the lead in a wave of 9-3, instantly chasing the score to 94-94. In the ensuing period, the two sides alternated points through long-range jumpers, free throws and counter-attacking layups, and when Cotta scored on a dunk, the Celtics were 105-100. Then, the two sides launched a new round of attacks from the outside, and when White hit another three-pointer from the outside, the Celtics extended their lead to eight points. In the closing stages, the Timberwolves scored five points in a row to close the gap to three points. At the moment of counting, Tatum turned over and missed a jumper. In the final 3.1 seconds, the Timberwolves held the ball and Edwards missed a three-point shot. In the end, the Celtics narrowly beat the Timberwolves by 3 points.

Both sides start

Celtics: Tatum, White, Hauser, Horford, Holiday

Timberwolves: Edwards, Gobert, Randle, Conley, McDaniels;