The Boston Celtics could not have asked for a better start Sunday afternoon.
Boston turned in a decisive victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves after the team rendered a pair of heart-stopping battles last season between the NBA contenders. The ending got competitive again as the Celtics survived when Minnesota missed a three at the buzzer.
Here are three studs and one dud from Sunday’s Celtics victory.
Jaylen Brown
The Celtics star could not have been hotter from the opening tip Sunday afternoon. Brown drained his first five attempts from three-point range. He needed less than four minutes to rack up 15 points and set the tone for the Celtics offense.
The Timberwolves responded to win the first quarter, but the Celtics clearly followed Brown’s lead the rest of the way as the team shot 37.5% from beyond the arc in the victory.
Brown finished with 29 points and delivered the dagger to Minnesota with a massive triple to extend the lead to five with under two minutes remaining.
Jayson Tatum
Tatum found his spot from three-point range, made an impact on the glass with eight rebounds, and finished with 26 points and a plus-seven rating.
Shot blockers
The Celtics were kind enough to invite the Timberwolves to their block party Sunday afternoon. Boston recorded seven blocks in the game with two apiece from Al Horford and Derrick White.
Boston entered the game in the middle of the pack around the NBA averaging five blocks per game this season.
Jaden McDaniels
The Minnesota forward had a tough outing at TD Garden. He committed five fouls, shot just 4-for-13 from the field and finished with a minus-12 rating.
