The Celtics became the final NBA team to fall into the loss column this season on Monday night with an overtime loss against the Timberwolves. The setback is nothing to be ashamed of for Boston after a five-game winning streak to open the year. The Wolves are undefeated at home to begin the year including a blowout win over the defending champions last week. Derrick White’s absence proved to be for Boston as well with the Wolves shooting 51 percent from the field including a game-high 38 points from red-hot Anthony Edwards.
Despite those caveats, this was still a very winnable game for the visitors. Boston had a chance to win the game on the final possession of regulation, a missed isolation 3-point shot by Jaylen Brown. That sequences along with a pivotal two minute stretch in overtime showcased some of the troubling habits that the Celtics likely hoped they kicked to the curb this year. Instead, against their toughest opponent of the year, Boston ended up making life hard on themselves in a familiar way as Minnesota ran away with the game in the extra frame with a 9-0 run.
A few areas to watch as the Celtics try to make the leap in these pivotal late-game moments.
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Timeout management
This was a common refrain all last year for Joe Mazzulla in key spots. There were no quibbles with any moves from the coach before tonight 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 Jaylen 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 Wolves 9-0 run in overtime that won the game for the hosts. Maybe it was a “test” for this new group to see how they would respond to the adversity but the team wasn’t producing any good looks during that stretch while Edwards roasted Porzingis and 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 when the lights turned brightest in overtime, Tatum, Brown and Jrue Holiday all tried to put together a one-man show. The trio combined for four misses in isolation spots along with two turnovers during the Wolves 9-0 run with 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 a 2-of-7 shooting showing OT.
Forgetting about Kristaps 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 even 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 all year long on switches. The Celtics need to be able to make teams pay on the other end with him to make up for those faults but he stayed uninvolved when it mattered most.
Ultimately, the Celtics are still in a great spot despite the early season loss at 5-1. Monday’s old habits resurfacing was a remainder that there’s plenty of work to be done to sustain themselves as a top-level contender.
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