Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards, who scored 38 points as the Timberwolves handed the Celtics their first loss of the season on Monday, works toward the basket as Boston center Al Horford pursues. Abbie Parr/Associated Press
The Celtics suffered their first loss of the season on Monday, losing to the Timberwolves, 114-109 in overtime. They were the last NBA team to lose a game this season.
Minnesota, which is unbeaten at home this season including a blowout win over defending NBA champion Denver, snapped Boston’s five-game winning streak. Playing without Derrick White and allowing the Timberwolves to shot 51 percent from the field, including 38 points from Anthony Edwards, were among the issues for Boston.
Nonetheless, Boston had a chance to win on the final possession of regulation but Jaylen Brown missed an isolation 3-point shot. That sequences along with a pivotal two minute stretch in overtime showcased some of the Celtics’ troubling habits.
A few areas to watch as the Celtics try to make the leap in these pivotal late-game moments.
Timeout management: This was a common refrain all last season for Coach Joe Mazzulla. There were no quibbles with any moves from the coach before Monday when it came to late-game timeouts and he made a few savvy moves late in regulation (hack-a-Rudy Gobert worked perfectly). With that said, leaving a timeout in his pocket at the end of regulation was questionable. The Celtics had no advantage in the half court with 10 seconds left as Brown dribbled down the clock. In a tie game, Mazzulla should want something better than an isolation 3-point shot from Brown. Minnesota is a tough defense so it’s worth seeing what the team can draw up in those spots.
The more puzzling choice was perhaps the lack of a timeout during the Timberwolves’ 9-0 run in overtime that decided the game. Maybe it was a test for this new group to see how they would respond to the adversity but the Celtics didn’t produce any good looks during that stretch, and Edwards roasted Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford in switches on three straight possessions. Mixing it up on either end in that spot wouldn’t have hurt.
Isolation heavy: The Celtics stars carried the scoring load all night for Boston but in overtime, Tatum, Brown and Jrue Holiday all tried to put together a one-man show. The trio combined for four misses in isolation plays along with two turnovers during Minnesota’s run and little passing to be found. It’s one thing to try to exploit subpar defenders on the Wizards and Pacers in 1-on-1 situations. The Wolves are the No. 1 defense in the NBA and can put up a fight in those spots. The Celtics tried to do things themselves a little too much and it led to 2-of-7 shooting in OT.
Forgetting Porzingis: Remember that third-scoring weapon the Celtics acquired this offseason? The Celtics stars seemed to forgot about his existence late in this one as the 7-foot-3 big man failed to even attempt a shot in fourth quarter and overtime. Porzingis battled foul trouble for a chunk of the night but he had size mismatches available late in this game particularly once Karl Anthony Towns fouled out. However, the big man barely got a touch in a half court set through the first four minutes of overtime as Boston’s ball movement and unpredictability faded away.
The net result was the worst offensive performance of the year for Boston with just 99.1 points per 100 possessions. Porzingis had his struggles on the defensive end in crunch time against McDaniels and Edwards, which is going to happen against versatile wings on switches. The Celtics and Porzingis need to be able to make teams pay on the other end to make up for those faults but he was uninvolved when it mattered most.
MAZZULLA ELECTED not to call a timeout during the game-changing sequence in overtime against Minnesota and was asked after the game about his decision.
“We like to save our timeouts to have two (late),” Mazzulla told reporters. “When it’s a five-point game, we went to the flip play and (Porzingis) got to the free-throw line and cut it to a one possession game.”
The Celtics cut the Wolves lead to three after a Jayson Tatum dunk with 35 seconds left in overtime. However, a Jaden McDaniels jumper on the ensuing possession sealed the win for Minnesota.
Mazzulla preferred to let his players play without stoppages down the stretch of games, a tendency that did not go well for this group last season. This time around, Mazzulla did not seem to have any regrets despite the tough performance down the stretch by his group.
“I thought that was a hell of a game,” Mazzulla said. “It was a lot of fun. Very competitive. Our opponents are always going to bring the best out of us. So I thought we competed at a high level, but I thought their defensive toughness outmatched our offensive toughness at times. But I thought both teams played a really good game for game 6 of the year.”
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