As is tradition when the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves square off, Thursday’s game at Target Center was decided in the final seconds.

And as was the case when these teams met on Causeway Street back in November, it was Boston that emerged victorious, winning 118-115 to kick off a four-game Western Conference road trip.

With starters Jaylen Brown (shoulder) and Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) sidelined by injuries, the Celtics leaned on Jayson Tatum (33 points, nine assists, eight rebounds) and Derrick White (26 points). The pair hit 11 3-pointers between them (on 40.7% shooting) to spearhead Boston’s offense in the second half.

Julius Randle was Minnesota’s top performer, tallying 27 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and a steal while shooting 5 for 7 from 3. The Celtics were able to largely neutralize All-Star guard Anthony Edwards, however, who scored just 15 points and had two costly misses in the final minutes.

It was the fifth straight Celtics-Wolves matchup that was decided by one possession or went to overtime.

Boston started 1 for 7 from 3-point range but made six of its next seven, with White, Tatum, Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and Jrue Holiday all contributing to that flurry. Holiday, who joked Tuesday that his recent shoulder injury might have mixed his shooting issues, hit 3s on back-to-back possessions as part of a 3-for-7 showing from beyond the arc.

The Timberwolves led by seven after the first quarter, but the Celtics surged ahead early in the second. Leading that charge was Hauser, who opened the quarter with consecutive second-chance 3s to spark an 8-0 run. Hauser, who made his fourth start of the season in place of Brown, hit another triple two minutes later.

The Celtics got excellent first-half minutes from Neemias Queta, whose usage has been sporadic over the last month-plus. The reserve center played nearly the entire second quarter and was a plus-15, notching two offensive rebounds, one steal, some quality defensive possessions and great finishes at the rim on back-to-back possessions shortly before halftime.

On one of those, Queta scored 1-on-1 against Wolves center Rudy Gobert, who won his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award last season. He also had another layup in the closing seconds of the first half that left his hand just after the shot-clock expired.

Queta played 22 total minutes in the win, and the Celtics outscored the Wolves by 17 points with him on the floor.

The second quarter was a defensive masterclass from the Celtics, who outscored Minnesota 34-16 after letting up 35 points (and a concerning number of wide-open corner threes) in the first. By halftime, the Celtics had racked up eight “stocks” (steals and blocks) to the Wolves’ one.

Tatum registered three steals in the first half, and White — the NBA’s premier shot-blocking guard — rejected two shots, including a corner three by Edwards at the first-half buzzer. White also drew two charges in the game. Boston led 62-51 at half.

Minnesota regained its offensive flow in the third quarter, twice cutting the Celtics’ lead to five points. But each time, the Wolves were repelled. Hauser snuffed out the first rally with his fifth 3-pointer of the game, tying his season high. Luke Kornet followed with a jumper in the lane off a Holiday offensive rebound, and Tatum put Gobert on skates as he drove for a dunk.

After a Naz Reid three made it 79-74 Celtics, Tatum responded with two threes of his own in quick succession, sandwiched around a Kornet block. His 16 third-quarter points (on 7-of-10 shooting) helped Boston reestablish a double-digit lead, but his technical foul late in the frame for arguing a foul call added fuel to yet another Wolves push.

The Timberwolves trailed by four entering the fourth quarter. They then scored 12 of the next 17 points to take their first lead since the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Nickeil Alexander-Walker. All of those points came with Tatum watching from the Celtics’ bench.

Thirty-seven seconds after he reentered the game, Tatum buried his sixth 3 of the night to put Boston back ahead, 101-98, with 7:25 remaining. In the Celtics’ first seven possessions after Tatum checked back in, he scored two baskets and assisted on three others, including a clutch 3 by a previously ice-cold Al Horford (2 for 21 from deep over the last three games).

White did the rest, hitting one 3-pointer with 2:59 to play and banking another in off the backboard less than a minute later.

The Celtics appeared to have all but sealed the win when Edwards bricked an open layup down seven. But Tatum missed a would-be clincher from 17 feet, Boston went scoreless in the final 2:08 and Donte DiVincenzo drew a three-shot foul on Holiday to cut the deficit to three. The C’s escaped after Edwards missed a 3 as the horn sounded.

It’s unclear whether Brown or Porzingis will be available on Friday, when the Celtics visit the resurgent Houston Rockets on the second night of a back-to-back. Head coach Joe Mazzulla said Brown’s shoulder strain is a “day-to-day” injury, and Porzingis, who hasn’t played since leaving Boston’s Christmas Day game with a sprained ankle, told reporters Thursday morning he’s “definitely getting close” to returning.

Off the rim

The NBA on Thursday released its first round of fan voting totals for the 2025 All-Star Game. Three Celtics cracked the top 10 at their respective positions: Tatum and Brown were second and fifth among frontcourt players, and White was 10th among backcourt players. A blend of votes from fans (50%), players (25%) and media (25%) determine the All-Star starters, with NBA head coaches selecting the reserves. Tatum and Brown should be All-Star shoo-ins, but White’s case will be an interesting one to watch. The 30-year-old guard is the only current Celtics starter with no All-Star nods on his career resume. Boston hasn’t sent three players to an All-Star Game since 2011.

____

©2025 The Boston Herald. Visit at bostonherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.