Celtics overcome Timberwolves in thrilling finish
LOS ANGELES: Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier combined for 32 points as Boston’s reserves keyed the Celtics’ 91-84 NBA victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
In a hard-fought contest that included 15 lead changes, the Eastern Conference — leading Celtics finally turned the tide late in the third quarter to post their fifth straight win.
Boston had missed 12 of their first 14 shots of the third and were down 55-48 with less than five minutes left in the period.
But they made eight of their next 11 shots, closing out the third on a 17-7 scoring run.
The Celtics withstood a 25point, 23-rebound performance from Minnesota star Karl-Anthony Towns.
Smart’s 18 points on eight-of-13 shooting led the Celtics and Rozier added 14 off the bench as Boston’s reserves out-scored Minnesota’s 42-20.
Star guard Kyrie Irving led Boston’s starters with 16 points and also pulled down nine rebounds and eight assists.
Irving’s finger-roll layup with 1.6 seconds left in the third pushed the Celtics’ advantage to 66-62 and they wouldn’t surrender the lead in the final quarter.
“Tonight was one of those games where every last one of us from the starters to the guys coming in off the bench were ready,” Smart said.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens was pleased to see his team hang on despite their offensive struggles.
“To win a game like that against a really good team when you can’t make a shot — that’s a good thing,” Stevens said. “You’re going to have nights like that. You’ve just got to find a way.”
The Toronto Raptors used a big third quarter – including 20 points from Jonas Valanciunas – to beat the Milwaukee Bucks for the second time in five days, 129-110.
Valanciunas, benched in the second quarter after finding himself in quick foul trouble and failing to score in the first, responded in the third, when the Raptors out-scored the Bucks 43-19.
“He was masterful as far as getting position, using his size and strength in the paint and just doing a good job of rebounding the ball, old school, going to get the ball, rebounding, putting it back and getting and-ones,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said of Valanciunas, who was just two points off Kyle Lowry’s club record for points in a quarter.
The Miami Heat, who endured an embarrassing 29-point defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks in November, turned the tables with a 107-103 overtime triumph.
It was close at the end in Memphis, where the Washington Wizards edged the Grizzlies 102-100 as the hosts’ late rally fell short.
The Charlotte Hornets sent the Lakers spinning to a ninth straight defeat, 108-94 in Los Angeles.
The return of rookie guard Lonzo Ball from injury couldn’t lift the Lakers, who endured their third straight loss by double digits and heard boos from home fans when they fell behind by as many as 25 points. AFP