Sizzling Celtics easily handle faltering Timberwolves / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports Credit Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Jayson Tatum scored 34 points and Jaylen Brown added 31 points and 10 rebounds to lift the host Boston Celtics to a 134-112 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

Player of the Game EFF 34 Jaylen Brown Points 31 Accuracy 12-20 Rebounds 10 Assists 2

Tatum, who scored 17 points in the third quarter, made five 3-pointers to send the Celtics (47-28) to their sixth straight win and 24th in their last 28 games.

Boston, which outscored Minnesota by a 38-19 margin in the second quarter, shot a robust 56.5 percent from the floor and 43.6 percent from 3-point range for the game.

Derrick White collected 15 points and six assists off the bench and Robert Williams III had 13 points and 10 rebounds before exiting with a left knee sprain late in the third quarter.

Anthony Edwards scored 24 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 for the Timberwolves (43-33), who have lost three of their last four games. Minnesota fell despite shooting 53.6 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from 3-point range.

Taurean Prince, who finished with 10 points, was fined $15,000 by the NBA for making an obscene gesture during Friday's 116-95 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Teammate Malik Beasley suffered an ankle injury in that game and sat out on Sunday.

Boston nursed a four-point lead after the first quarter before beginning the second on a 19-7 run. White made a 3-pointer, a three-point play and a pair of free throws on his team's first three possessions before his layup gave the Celtics a 53-37 lead.

Boston kept its foot on the gas, with Brown sinking a pair of free throws and a mid-range jumper before Tatum drained a 3-pointer to push the Celtics' lead to 72-47. The point total served as Boston's highest scoring first half of the season.

Williams made a layup and Tatum added a pair of buckets from the interior to extend the Celtics' advantage to 78-51 early in the third quarter. Edwards sandwiched 3-pointers around one from Patrick Beverley to trim Minnesota's deficit, but the Timberwolves were unable to get closer than 17 points the rest of the way.

Thank you for reading us! We have even more content for you.