Jayson Tatum, Celtics Beat Timberwolves as Anthony Edwards Disappoints NBA Fans
January 3, 2025
The Minnesota Timberwolves had an opportunity to earn a statement win on Thursday night but the Boston Celtics had other plans.
Boston rode an explosive second quarter to claim a 118-110 victory over the Timberwolves.
Minnesota took a 35-28 lead in the opening quarter but a 34-16 charge from Boston in the second half gave the Celtics a 62-51 halftime lead. The Timberwolves bounced back with a 34-29 advantage in the third quarter but Boston was able to hold on and improve to 25-9 on the season.
Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 33 points while adding nine assists and eight rebounds. Derrick White was next for the Celtics with 26 points while Sam Hauser had 15 and Jrue Holliday had 11.
Julius Randle led Minnesota with 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while Jaden McDaniels had 19 points, eight rebounds and two assists and Naz Reid had 20 points off of the bench.
Star guard Anthony Edwards had a tough night, scoring 15 points with six assists and four rebounds but shooting just 5-of-16 on field goals and 2-of-8 from three-point range. This included a buzzer-beater attempt to tie the game in the final seconds. He was also minus-10 on the court in the close game.
Fans took to social media to express disappointment in Edwards' game and declared that he isn't on the level of a player like Tatum.
Minnesota falls to 17-15 on the season with the loss and sit in eighth in the Western Conference. This is disappointing after a Conference Finals berth in 2023-24 and a blockbuster trade in the offseason that saw the team bring in Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for center Karl-Anthony Towns.
Still, the Timberwolves have some time to turn it around and push forward in the West. The next opportunity to earn a key win will be on Saturday when Minnesota faces the Detroit Pistons.