The Celtics rallied from a nine-point deficit in the final four minutes of regulation and eventually battled past the Wolves with a 127-120 win in an overtime thriller on Wednesday night at TD Garden. 
In a fight between two of the best teams in the league, Minnesota initially took command from Boston in the fourth quarter behind big performances from Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns but the Celtics fought back behind Jayson Tatum (45 points, 11 rebounds) and Jaylen Brown (35 points) to pull off the dramatic win.
Boston led by as many as 10 points in the first half but the Wolves steadily chipped away at the deficit in the first half and found their rhythm in the second half, pushing up their lead to nine points with 3:35 remaining in regulation.
Boston clawed their way back into the game though with a 9-0 run, nearly pulling off the win in regulation before finishing the job in overtime. The team was also without Kristaps Porzingis (knee contusion) in the win to extend their home winning streak to 18 games.
There will be little rest for Boston as they now head back on the road to Milwaukee on Thursday night for a matchup against two of the top teams in the East.
Here are four takeaways from Wednesday’s game:
Jaylen Brown remains red hot in first quarters: The Celtics All-Star likes to do his best work early in games offensively and that trend continued on Wednesday night. Brown erupted for 15 points in the first quarter knocking down five of his seven shot attempts including three from 3-point range. It was the third time this season that Brown had scored 15 or more points in the third quarter and he’s now shooting over 57 percent on the year in the first quarter. Boston’s offense has been at a different level all year long at the TD Garden and Brown’s efficient production is a big part of the reason why.
Travel woes leave Wolves shorthanded: Minnesota did not arrive in Boston until six hours before opening tip due to weather issues delaying their flight from Orlando on Tuesday night. The unusual flight schedule led to the Wolves showing some extra caution with their veterans as Mike Conley got the night off for the first time all season while Rudy Gobert was a late scratch with a hip issue. The Wolves played with a lot of energy in their absence, getting a big game for Naz Reid to help fill the void but a well rested Boston squad certainly benefitted from a travel-weary Wolves squad particularly in the final two minutes of the game as the Celtics pulled off a 9-0 run to force overtime.
Celtics make history at home: Boston entered the contest tied for the most consecutive home wins to open a season in franchise history, having won 17 straight to let them match the 1957-58 Celtics. Boston was also riding a 24-game regular season home winning streak dating back to March 2023 entering Wednesday night, putting them just behind a couple of historic runs by the 1986 Celtics at the old Boston Garden.
They added to both streaks in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night using a 9-0 run in the closing minutes of regulation and a huge overtime period from Tatum to make a new spot in the franchise record books for this squad.
Wolves streak: Minnesota had gone winless at the TD Garden for 18 straight seasons entering Wednesday night, dating back to when Kevin Garnett remained with the franchise.
The win featured Garnett and current Celtics assistant Sam Cassell. Minnesota has had a few playoff teams amid that lengthy stretch but none have the talent of this Wolves squad even with a pair of their regulars out in Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert for this contest. However, the Celtics extended their home dominance over the Wolves for one more year and gave themselves a three-game lead over the Wolves for the best record in the NBA.
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