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Wolves Wrap: Wolves beat Celtics behind LaVine’s big game

By Ben Beecken

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86. Final. 98. 18. 110

That was fun, wasn’t it?

The Wolves finally won a game, beating the road-weary Boston Celtics by a final score of 110-98. All five Wolves starters scored in double-figures and Kevin Martin added 21 points off the bench in his return with new acquisition Lorenzo Brown dropping 11 points in his first regular season appearance in a Wolves uniform.

It was as competent an offensive performance as Minnesota has had in awhile, and Zach LaVine played his best game in a long time. There was a stretch in the second and third quarter in which he more or less took over the game, converting an alley-oop dunk and a put-back dunk before halftime and hitting a couple of jumpers and layups through contact in the third quarter.

He also appeared to mostly be in command of the offense while on the floor. It was refreshing, especially since he had given the ball away to Avery Bradley early in the game with the Celtics’ point guard simply stealing LaVine’s dribble away from him. The Wolves’ rookie showed some pride and played very well the rest of the way.

Brown was the point guard that finished down the stretch for the Wolves, showing that he knew the offense and using his length to bother Boston’s guards. It was an impressive all-around win for the Wolves, and they’ll have a legitimate shot at their first winning streak of the season with a showdown in Philadelphia on Friday night.

Star of the Game

Zach LaVine (17 points on 7 of 9 shooting, 2 of 2 free throws, 1 of 1 three-pointers, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 4 turnovers)

Despite Martin’s 21 points in his first game in a couple of months, LaVine was the most important player on the floor for the Wolves tonight. It took Martin 18 shots to get his points, and LaVine took over the game when the Celtics made a couple of runs to get the deficit down into single digits.

There was only one or two forced, off-balance, contested long two-pointers attempted by LaVine. He shot 7 of 9 from the floor and it was easily the best shot selection of his young career. LaVine also showed an ability to make the correct decision out of the pick-and-roll a couple of times, finishing with six assists on the night. His defense still needs a ton of work, but let’s not worry about that right now.

Tweet of the Night

Stat of the Night

The key to the game was free throws. The Wolves were 28 of 32 from the line, good for 87.5%. Boston attempted only nine free throws, making seven.

The officiating was spotty, but the home team was clearly the aggressor for the entirety of the game, and it helped the Wolves build their cushion heading down the stretch.

Notable Lines:

  • Andrew Wiggins: 12 points (5-11 FG, 0-2 3PT, 2-2 FT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, zero turnovers
  • Lorenzo Brown: 11 points (3-6 FG, 2-3 3PT, 3-4 FT), one rebound, 3 assists, one turnover
  • Gorgui Dieng: 16 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks, one assist, one turnover

Who’s Got Next?

The Wolves have a very winnable game in Philadelphia on Friday night against the 76ers, although the Brett Brown’s crew destroyed the Detroit Pistons tonight at home by a score of 89-69. It won’t be a walk in the park, but there is a real shot that the Wolves could actually win two games in a row.

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