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In a cross-conference match the Boston Celtics hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves at the TD Garden in hopes of a win without their superstar point guard Kyrie Irving, who was suffering from eye problems.
Boston dominated the match throughout and it never seemed like they would let the game slip. The final scoreline was a very comfortable 115-102 in favor of the Celtics.
With this result the Celtics have now won 3 of their last 5 matches and are sitting comfortably at the 5th spot in the East. Minnesota on the other hand are still struggling to create some momentum and are at a miserable 13th in the West with a record of 17-21.
The Celtics have had early season problems of their own, but despite that they have kept implementing new stuff in hopes of finding the best fit for them. That has helped them get effective results, in sharp contrast to several other teams.
Now, here are the top 3 talking points from the match:
#3. Unselfish basketball from the Celtics
The Celtics have one of the best brands of basketball in the league. They play hard, they play smart, and they play unselfish. They try to create plays and make sure that the best guy at the best spot gets to shoot the ball.
Tonight was yet another one of those nights for them as they displayed amazing team play and incredibly efficient passing. Everyone played together as a team and as a result they gathered a total of 34 dimes, and almost everyone had some assists.
Boston have been like this throughout the season as they are 7th in the league in assists per game with an average of 25 assists per game. This makes their games a lot more fun than other teams' matches.
#2. Disparity in the shooting percentages of the two teams
Tonight's game was a shooting clinic by the Boston Celtics. It looked like they would not miss a single shot, and win the game by a huge margin. They shot at a whopping 59% from the field and 40% from the 3-point line.
On the other hand the Minnesota Timberwolves shot 48% from the field and 30% from the 3-point line. Even though on any other night the Timberwolves may have won with those kinds of shooting averages, tonight was different.
The Celtics were on another level in this game. and it was impossible for the Timberwolves to match up to them. The Celtics had more firepower and more bench depth, which proved to be too much for the Timberwolves and they succumbed to a harrowing defeat.
The Celtics rank 14th in the entire league in shooting averages.
#1. An emotional night for Gordon Hayward
Since returning from his potentially career-ending injury, Gordon Hayward has been nothing but a shell of the player he once was. It's as though he has lost all the confidence and belief in his game. And throughout this season he has been the talk of many stories that say he is one of the biggest reasons behind Boston's slip-ups.
In tonight's game, when Boston were missing their star Kyrie Irving, they needed someone else to put their hand up. Hayward took advantage of this opportunity and had one of his best games of the season.
He scored 35 points, grabbed 5 assists and shot lights out, making 14 of his 18 total shots.
In their next game the Celtics will face the Mavericks at the TD Garden while the Timberwolves will host the Magic in hopes of getting back to winning ways.
