Boston scored 69 points in the first half on Saturday. Jaylen Brown was playing like it was going to be a memorable night in Minnesota. All of that stalled to a screeching halt as the fourth quarter began on Saturday afternoon. 

The Celtics mustered just 46 points in the final 24 minutes, and it would’ve been a lot worse if the Timberwolves didn’t let Boston walk right back into the game. 

Besides Brown’s 41 points, most of the supporting cast didn’t contribute much on the offensive end. Neemias Queta was Boston’s second leading scorer with 18 points. When Queta is the second highest point getter in a game, it probably doesn’t end well most nights, as seen Saturday in Minnesota. 

Here are five takeaways from the 119-115 loss to the Timberwolves… 

Brown’s heroic effort 

When it became clear that this Celtics team was going to be Brown’s team, it was going to be fascinating to see what his ceiling truly was as a No. 1 option. 

Nights like Saturday is what the best version of Brown looks like as he poured in 41 points, seven assists and five steals in what was a losing effort. His first half was otherworldly as he recorded a historic stat line of 27 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Brown was the first player in the play-by-play era to record that line. 

It’s also well known that Brown loves to go against Anthony Edwards, taking that matchup personally every year. Edwards did get the better of Brown in the second half as the young star finished with 39 points, 24 coming in the second half. 

Brown did fade for large portions of the second half, scoring 14 but just seeming a step slower than he was in the first half. 

Queta’s career day 

Queta didn’t look like he was feeling any lingering effects of that left ankle sprain that forced him to miss nearly two games this week. The big man thoroughly outplayed Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert, posting career highs in points and assists with 19 and 18 respectively. 

A big reason the Celtics were able to build a double-digit lead was because of Queta’s work on the offensive glass. The Portugal native grabbed eight offensive boards leading to 16 second chance points for the Cs. 

Timberwolves heat it up 

What kept Minnesota in the game and ultimately what won it the game was its three point shooting. As a team the Timberwolves connected on 21 triples on 44% shooting. 

They hit on 8-of-13 attempts in the third quarter to help erase a 12 point deficit. While the Timberwolves did go cold for a short stretch in the fourth, allowing Boston to go on a 12-0 run, two more big triples from Mike Conley and Edwards were enough to ice the game. 

Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle combined for seven threes in the win.

Frozen in Minnesota 

Led by Brown, the Celtics looked like the best version of themselves in the first half, putting up 69 while controlling the paint and hitting at a good pace from deep. That all changed in the second half, especially in the fourth. 

The Celtics just looked tired and lost for most of the fourth, and when the threes weren’t falling, no one was there to save them. 10 points in the first nine minutes of any quarter isn’t going to be very effective, but especially in the fourth quarter of what was a 94-92 game. 

Not a single Celtic besides Derrick White and Brown made a single field goal in the final six minutes of Saturday’s games (excluding a garbage time triple at the buzzer from Sam Hauser). 

Boston just needs more offense on a consistent basis from its supporting cast. Payton Pritchard — the supposed third option — scored just nine points on 4-of-14 shooting. After Sam Hauser got off to a hot start with 11 first-half points, he was scoreless until that garbage time three. Boston needs more from the player who was a contributing piece in its 2024 title. 

Also where is Anfernee Simons? 

Is Joe Mazzulla failing his bench? 

A common theme for the Celtics this year has been having players like Josh Minott, Baylor Scheierman and Simons pop off here and there to help contribute to wins. This would be nice if they were viewed as the end of bench rotation pieces, but they’re not. 

These are guys that are going to be needed to be consistent options off the bench if Boston wants to continue to remain above .500 through the winter months. But through 19 games, none have shown the ability to provide any consistency on the floor. 

Is Joe Mazzulla to blame? 

Simons has traditionally been a player who has started throughout his career in Portland. Mazzulla has opted to have Simons come off the bench and play a more limited role — which is clearly affecting the guard’s ability to get into any sort of groove. 

On Saturday, Simons scored just five points in 18 minutes and didn’t receive much of an opportunity to help shoot the Celtics out of their fourth quarter slump. 

Mazzulla continues to keep his trust in Pritchard and Hauser, keeping what is supposedly an elite offensive talent caged up.Â