NBA 2018-19: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Boston Celtics: 3 Talking points

Final Score: Boston Celtics beat Minnesota Timberwolves, 118-109

Stats:

Celtics- 40 rebounds, 30 assists, 3 Blocks and 9 steals.

Wolves- 39 rebounds, 19 assists, 2 Blocks and 6 steals.

Boston Celtics ended Timberwolves' four-game winning streak and won their third game in a row.

Everything looked good during the start of the match except the horrendous color combination of jerseys. Wolves started with an early lead but could not hold on to it for much longer as Celtics finished the first half with a three-point lead, scoreline being 29-26.

The second half saw a 9-0 early run by the Celtics. Morris knocked down a few three-pointers, and Hayward also made some excellent shots. Celtics extended their lead to 9 points.

Wolves tried their best to get back in the third quarter with some contributions from Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. But they were just able to cut the lead by two points.

The fourth and the final quarter was quite impressive with Wolves cutting the Celtics' lead twice and even tying the game at 89-89 with 8.42 remaining on the clock. But Morris made sure Celtics take home the W.

Overall, Wolves tried their best, but that was not enough against the talented Celtics team. Let's discuss the three talking points of the game.

---

#3 Wolves tried hard, but it was not enough

Minnesota Timberwolves v Los Angeles Lakers

Derrick Rose was the only player who was consistent in scoring for the Wolves. He finished with 26 points, 12 of those coming in the first half.

Other than Rose, all the players lacked consistency in scoring. The ball movement was also not that great as they had just 19 assists.

They went small to finish the game which was because they needed offence, but it cost them defensively. Wolves defended well in the paint but Celtics' have a lot of talented men on the perimeter.

#2 Everybody stepped in for the Celtics

Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward

After a long time, Boston Celtics are looking like a complete team. Kyrie Irving was good and scored 21 points and seven assists. Gordon Hayward scored his season-best performance and scored 30 points.

Jayson Tatum and Al Horford both contributed well with 19 and 15 points respectively. Marcus Morris was the man who made the difference in the fourth quarter by knocking down some valuable shots. He ended up with 16 points to his name and some incredible plays down the stretch.

Check out this fantastic team play led by Marcus Morris:

Play of the year 😍#WinningPlays pic.twitter.com/9sP6u9DWvT

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 2, 2018

It was a great team performance by the team. Jaylen Brown did not play this game, and the graph will get only better after his return.

Boston have improved to 13-10 and will head back to the TD Garden to face of the New York Knicks on Thursday.

#1 Player of the Game- Gordan Hayward

Gordon Hayward

The moment Gordon Hayward committed himself for the Alley-oop dunk, it reminded everyone of how dangerous a player he was with the Utah Jazz. Although he was not able to complete that dunk, he made it clear that there is nothing that can stop him from getting to the level he was before the injury.

Gordon Hayward is getting better and better day by day. Today's performance was his best performance for the Boston Celtics. It was also his first 20-point performance for them. He finished with 30 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists.

Check out a few statements made after the match:

“That’s got to be a mindset of mine, looking to get to the rim a little more,” says Gordon Hayward. “I was awarded for that a little bit tonight with some free throws.”

“This has not been easy for him,” Brad Stevens says of Gordon Hayward, “and all he’s done is grit his teeth ... and work hard.”

Check out the highlights of his game:

Gordon Hayward goes off for a season-high 30 PTS, 9 REB, 8 AST in the @celtics win in Minneapolis! #CUsRise pic.twitter.com/DxSdUc5p3L

— NBA (@NBA) December 2, 2018