Minneapolis (USA), May 15 (EFE) .- Power forward Jayson Tatum claimed this Saturday his status as leader of the Boston Celtics and with a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds led the victory at home for 108-124 over Minnesota Timberwolves.
French forward Evan Fournier added 18 points and made 5 of 8 triples, which made him part of the list of six Celtics players who had double-digit numbers and broke a streak of four consecutive losses.
American center Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with a double-double of 24 points and 14 rebounds. It was his 27th game of the year with more than 20 points and more than 10 rebounds. Rookie forward Anthony Edwards scored 23 points in the loss.
Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio finished with four points, four rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes as the starter for the Timberwolves, who lost the second consecutive game.
While his compatriot, power forward Juancho Hernangómez played 21 in reserve and lacked scoring inspiration by missing 5 of the 6 field goals he made to finish the game with three points and four rebounds.
Despite having significant casualties in the squad such as point guard Kemba Walker (neck), Canadian center Tristan Thompson (pectoral), guard Marcus Smart (calf) and power forward Robert Williams (toe), the Celtics were always in control of the game and the scoreboard, never giving the Timberwolves a chance to fight for the win.
The Celtics scored 13 of 30 3-point attempts in the first half to build a 47-66 halftime lead. Minnesota was just 2 of 17 from outside the perimeter in the first two quarters, with its starting lineup hitting no 3s in 14 attempts.
Minnesota, which is eliminated from playoff competition with the third-worst record in the Western Conference, trailed by as much as 23. The Timberwolves cut the Celtics’ lead to 11 in the middle of the fourth quarter on a three-point play. Edwards, but they never got any closer.
(c) EFE Agency