After two banger matchups last season, the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves are squaring off for the first time in the new campaign. So far, it’s been an exciting back-and-forth game, but the Cs still have a 55-52 lead at the break.
Now, get ready for some Halftime Hot Takes, buddy.
Jaylen Brown has had enough of the Celtics’ slow starts
Jaylen Brown has been known to pop off in the first quarter from time to time, but Sunday’s opening stretch was different. JB drilled five straight three-point attempts to score Boston’s first 15 points in this one.
He got going off of a few great looks created by excellent team ball movement. Then that confidence evolved into this:
I almost fell out of my chair.
It’s felt like JB’s been due for a heater for quite some time now. His three-point shot hasn’t quite been there so far this year.
Jaylen Brown had been 14 of his last 68 (20.5%) from 3.
He made five straight to begin the game.
The Wolves and Celtics give up the fewest 3-point shots in the NBA.
18 of the first 23 shots today have been 3’s.
— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) November 24, 2024
Though he missed his next two attempts, the scorcher is certainly something for Brown to build off of going forward.
The Celtics might have sold their souls for those five Jaylen threes
So as fun as the opening minutes were with all of the Jaylen triples, the rest of the quarter was pretty much the opposite. The first non-Jaylen-Brown points came with 2:50 left in the opening frame when Jrue Holiday sank a pair of free throws.
That’s a LONG time to go without anyone else putting the ball in the basket.
Payton Pritchard became the second Celtic to make a field goal on the very next possession, as he hit a fall-away shot over Rudy Gobert.
Up until that point, the rest of the squad had shot a combined 0-13 from the floor.
Not the best start I’ve ever seen, I have to be honest.
Boston was fortunate enough to be down just three points by the time the quarter came to a close.
Xavier Tillman’s rotation hopes remain alive
Xavier Tillman had been doing a lot of watching from the sidelines prior to Friday’s win against the Washington Wizards. Credit to him, though. He made the most out of his appearance in the nation’s capital and earned himself some extra burn against Minnesota on Sunday.
Though he didn’t do anything that’ll make you jump out of your seat, he proved to be solid once again during his short stint. Solid is really the bar when it comes to Boston’s backup bigs. Luke Kornet, who is out vs. the Timberwolves, is the type of player that Joe Mazzulla can always count on to defend, make smart plays, and finish his looks in the paint.
Tillman isn’t quite the paint presence that Kornet is, but he gives the team an added perimeter defensive option, allowing them to play a more switchable style.
In addition, he is a solid deicision maker, which can’t be said about all of the team’s big guys.
It’s great to see him looking a bit more comfortable out there, after struggling to start his first full season as a Celtic.
