Minnesota Timberwolves (44-28) beat Boston Celtics (47-24) 102-92 on the road on Sunday, March 22, after falling far behind. The Timberwolves were down 9 at one quarter break and still finished 10 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Celtics had the better start, winning the first 23-14 to lead by 9 after one. The Timberwolves moved in front with a 33-21 second quarter, carrying a 3-point lead into halftime.
The Celtics won the third 33-29 to turn the game around, taking a 1-point lead into the fourth. The Timberwolves took the fourth 26-15; the Timberwolves completed the comeback for a 102-92 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Timberwolves got more from their shots, finishing at 49.5% effective field-goal shooting compared with 40.5% for the Celtics. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Celtics did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 10.9 against 14.1. The Timberwolves made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 100 possessions per team, the Timberwolves produced 101.7 points per 100 possessions to 91.8 for the Celtics.
Who carried the comeback
Nah'Shon Hyland was the game's biggest individual force for MIN: 23 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast on 8-14 shooting. His Game Score of 19 led everyone. His team was +26 with him on the floor.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 29 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast on 9-26 shooting, good for a 15.1 Game Score.
Jayson Tatum (16 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
By our Win Meter this was an upset: The Timberwolves entered with about a 22% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Boston Celtics lead 2-1.
The Timberwolves are now 44-28, and the Celtics are 47-24. The Timberwolves last five before this game: W-L-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.