A very hard-fought match ends 107-105, in which the performances of Tatum, Brown, White and Edwards stand out
Gianmarco Calvaresi
November 25, 2024 (changed at 00:41) – MILANO
Partials, comebacks, triples and errors. The game that opens Sunday’s NBA is a roller coaster, but in the end, as often happens, the Celtics come out on top, beating Minnesota 107-105. Mazzulla’s team (14-3) finds its fifth consecutive success, while the Timberwolves’ hopes of a comeback (8-8) are extinguished with Naz Reid’s missed triple at the end of the game, suffering their fifth defeat in their last seven outings.
the beginning
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If as usual Brown and Tatum lead the Celtics’ attack, Derrick White is the man everywhere who decides the game. For Finch, however, Edwards’ offensive talent and Gobert’s defensive presence (20 rebounds) are not enough: Minnesota is still a distant relative of the solid team admired last season. The start of the race at the TD Garden takes on surreal contours. We start with a Jaylen Brown on fire with three points, with a sensational 5/5 in the first 4′ of the game, but the Celtics’ scoreboard remains unchanged in the following 6′. Once the storm passed, Minnesota got into the game thanks to Gobert’s defense, who prevented the Celtics from making easy shots at the rim and grabbed 9 rebounds in the first quarter alone, while Edwards led a counter-partial of 21-9. It’s the bench that rekindles a spark for Boston: a couple of triples from Hauser and Pritchard restart Mazzulla’s supercar, Tatum and Horford pick up the pace and the Celtics’ lead reaches +10. However, 41% from 3 on 29 attempts and 8 free throws more than their opponents were not enough for the Celtics to escape: Minnesota kept the game in balance by taking advantage of the better penetration percentages and the extra possessions guaranteed by Gobert’s 7 offensive rebounds. Randle limits the damage in Edwards’ minutes of rest, and in the final minutes of the first half comes the Wolves counterattack signed by Ant-Man and Donte DiVincenzo.
recovery
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The teams return to the locker rooms with the reigning champions ahead 55-52. After a balanced first half, the Celtics raise the intensity a lot and Tatum takes over the keys to the attack: 11 points in the third quarter for JT, who leads his team to a 22-4 run. And the Celtics’ attack always starts from the defense: Wolves forced to take difficult shots, with White even blocking Edwards, and then running in transition and finding the unmarked shooter. Minnesota, however, is resilient: despite the absence of a real point guard (Conley still unavailable), Finch’s team takes advantage of Boston’s drop in percentages to put the game back into question. The plays of Edwards and rookie Rod Dillingham bring the teams back to two possessions apart, while Gobert forces the hosts to force shots from outside. In the last quarter, with Minnesota back to -2, it is Derrick White who scores the heaviest baskets: the 19 points of the Olympic champion, to which are added 9 rebounds and 5 assists, keep Boston in front, and in the last possession it is Naz Reid to take the winning triple. The iron of the Garden, however, smiles on the Celtics, who find their fifth consecutive victory and remain in second place in the Eastern Conference.
Boston: Brown 29 (10/18, 7/10 3pt, 2/2 t.l.), Tatum 26, White 19. Rimbalzi: White 9. Assist: White 5.
Minnesota: Edwards 28 (9/21, 6/11 3pt, 4/4), Randle 23, Dillingham 14. Rimbalzi: Gobert 20. Assist: Edwards 7.
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