#1 - Jaylen Brown generated 58 points out of 115
Another impressive offensive game from Jaylen Brown. While the other offensive creators struggled to get going, JB was on fire from the jump, and it kept the Celtics in the game. As Rudy Gobert was often in drop coverage, Brown’s ability to punish it with his jump shots was key.
While his outside shooting was the key to beating the Timberwolves’ drop coverage, his post-up gravity was also extremely valuable in generating open shots. This season, Brown is playing less from the post than last season, but it remains a great offensive approach to create space. Because of Jaylen’s scoring ability, defenses often overhelp when he is in the post or near the rim, which leads to open teammates.
With 41 points and seven assists, Jaylen Brown either scored or assisted on more than half of the Celtics’ points. Yet, because of another cold night from Payton Pritchard and Derrick White, Boston didn’t have enough firepower to steal this game from Anthony Edwards and his team.
#2 - There was no solution against Ant
Last night, we got ourselves a duel of old-school scorers, with a lot of mid-range shots and isolations from both Brown and Edwards. And while the Timberwolves struggled to contain JB, the Celtics had similar issues with Ant.
The dilemma against such a scorer is that you can’t leave one player alone — even great defenders like D-White. Ant is big enough to post up guards who are as fast as him, using his strength to bully his way to the rim. And if you switch with a bigger body, his shooting and handle have improved enough that he can create space against a slower matchup.
And like JB, as the game goes on, his gravity increases, generating more and more open space for his teammates. That is probably why the Timberwolves’ coaching staff like to surround him with Naz Reid and Mike Conley instead of Jaden McDaniels or Rudy Gobert at times. Just by his presence on the court, there is more space for shooters beyond the arc.
#3 - Sam Hauser the switch beater
The switch-everything defensive coverage is a smart way to avoid gaps in the defense, but it can be much trickier to execute than people think. The instruction is simple: switch on every screen… but what if the screen isn’t really set?
Here, for example, Hauser is about to set a screen on Randle for Pritchard, so Rob Dillingham prepares to switch. But Hauser never actually makes contact and instead slips around Randle. As a result, Randle doesn’t switch because he doesn’t feel the screen, while the rookie anticipates too early and ends up on Pritchard, leaving Hauser wide open.
As Dillingham keeps defending Hauser, the Celtics continue involving him in screening actions, forcing him to make decisions. And often, they were the wrong ones. That’s why he ended up playing only five minutes.
#4 - Finding the seal
Because of Dillingham’s inability to make good defensive reads, the Timberwolves had to stick with the good old Mike Conley. And while he provides great spacing offensively, the Celtics love going after players like him to build their attack. Last night, as soon as he stepped onto the court, JB targeted him and forced help, which cracked open the defensive shell.
The Celtics made sure to involve players who were matched up with Conley in these actions, either as the ball handler or the screener. Below, Anfernee Simons sets a pindown screen for Jaylen Brown, and because the Wolves don’t want to leave Conley on JB, they refuse to switch. This gives Brown enough space to catch the ball and drive with momentum, beating Randle at the rim.
#5 - Picking on Naz Reid wasn’t the solution
But sometimes, the Celtics also attack the wrong seal. And last night, that was the case with Naz Reid.
When the Celtics go to isolation against a mismatch instead of keeping the ball moving, I always wonder if that is truly the best option. Of course, isolation is an effective way to score with the spacing Boston often has, and it rarely leads to turnovers — one of the main reasons they take such good care of the ball.
Still, this lack of movement late in games might be one of the reasons the Celtics often come up short in the clutch. Especially without Jayson Tatum, the isolation scoring and spacing are not as elite as before, and I sometimes wish they would move the ball a little more when the game tightens.
#6 - The more the Celtics play around Queta, the better
Once again in Minnesota, we saw a two-faced Celtics team. And the version that performs the best is often the one with Queta involved. The Portuguese big man’s ability to create separation with his screens opens the floor for his teammates across multiple actions and forces Gobert to help on drives.
On the play below, the fact that Queta has the ball and sets the screen creates the gap White needs to attack. And even though White misses, because Gobert and DiVincenzo are focused on the ball, Queta has an easy rebound at the rim.
The big man’s finishing ability and rebounding are making the Celtics more competitive. He doesn’t need many touches, but his involvement in actions consistently creates something positive. Especially when he is defended by one of the league’s best rim protectors. On the play below, he only touches the ball at the very end — but it’s his flare screen that opens the action for JB, and then he shows great touch to finish over the Frenchman.
The more he plays, the better it is for Boston. Still, their small-ball approach was also an interesting look for this matchup.
#7 - Small-ball Celtics
Last night, the Celtics played 16 minutes without a true center. This was another example of Josh Minott’s ability to fill whatever role is asked of him. With the former Timberwolf as the “center,” the Celtics had better spacing and played with more pace. They were also more aggressive on the ball, pushing for transition opportunities to compensate for the lack of size and interior scoring.
Minott also matched up well with Naz Reid’s skill set. His perimeter defense and length bothered the Wolves’ sixth man. On top of that, his willingness to crash the offensive glass still created extra chances even with Queta on the bench.
If his shooting can become even moderately efficient, this could become a real game-changer, as Boston would be able to run true five-out lineups like they did last season.
#8 - The Wolves were on fire from deep
Looking back at Boston’s defense, it’s frustrating to see how hot the Wolves got from outside. With strong gap help, the Celtics limited the volume of drives. Ant and company generated only 20 attempts at the rim, with efficiency just above 60%.
But that defensive scheme only works if the shooting turns cold… which it did not.
Minnesota took more threes than the Celtics, which is unusual. On top of that, they made 44% of them. Hard to stop — but the Celtics’ ability to take away the paint was impressive, even during the minutes without a center.
#9 - Free-throws problems
Getting to the line is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to score. Unfortunately, the Celtics have struggled all season in that area, ranking 30th in free-throw rate. Even worse last night, they shot only 60% from the stripe. In a tight game like this one, that can be costly.
#10 - Jayson Tatum in the building, even on a Saturday night in Minnesota
Seeing the franchise player travel with the team, even for a quick November trip to cold Minnesota, says a lot about Jayson Tatum’s connection to the Celtics, the fans, and the game.
Can’t wait to see him back — even if part of me still believes the safest option would be to have him rest for the entire season.