20161121-BOSMIN

Taylor Snow

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MINNEAPOLIS – A confident Terry Rozier is a scary Terry Rozier – for opposing teams, that is.

The Minnesota Timberwolves learned that lesson the hard way Monday night, when an unsuspecting pest arose from Boston's bench and spearheaded a spectacular fourth-quarter comeback for the C’s.

Boston entered the final frame down 81-68. The team was lacking energy until that point, but Brad Stevens started the quarter with his spunky, second-year guard running the point.

And that decision turned out to be the difference between a win and a loss for the Celtics.

Rozier sparked Boston’s offense to a 17-0 run to open up the fourth quarter. His driving dunk midway through the frame, which arrived after he picked a steal, put Boston ahead for good, as it went on to win 99-93.

Rozier’s offense, however, was not what his teammates were raving about after the game.

“I was more proud of his ability to finish out plays on the defensive end,” said Al Horford. “He was getting long rebounds, being physical, just doing the little things that make winning happen.”

Basically, he was doing it all. And Brad Stevens says that’s what he expects from a guy who puts in as much work as Rozier does.

“From the day we drafted him, we talked about his athletic intangibles,” said Stevens, “but it’s more about his competitive spirit and desire to be good. That guy wants to be good. He works at it.

“And he’s still learning. He’s got a lot to learn. But he was one of, if not the, biggest reason why we came back.”

After a somewhat apprehensive rookie campaign, Rozier has shown a massive spike in confidence through the preseason and the early part of the regular season. Much of that has to do with earning the trust of Stevens, who kept Rozier on the floor for the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter while Isaiah Thomas watched his protege from the sideline.

Now that Rozier has earned the coaching staff’s trust, he can comfortably play at a full-throttle and not feel the need to hold back.

“Once you get comfortable playing hard, a lot of things just go your way,” said Rozier, who finished with 12 points, four boards and two assists during 16 minutes of play. “You just relax more and you feel like you can do a lot of things.

“So that was a big confidence booster for me – coach just believing in me and sticking with me throughout the fourth quarter.”

Rozier running the point through the majority of a fourth quarter is a rare sight. Normally, that’s Thomas’ job.

Instead, Thomas remained on the bench during the entirety of Boston’s 17-0 run, though he did not utter a complaint.  Instead, he sat back - and leaped up - with a grin on his face as he watched his young backup go to work.

“That’s how he needs to play. That’s him,” Thomas said of Rozier. “He brought energy, he was defending, he got the rebounds, he was out on the fast-breaks, he got a dunk. That unit got us that win, and if it wasn’t for them we would have had another loss.”

While Rozier was the main sparkplug during Boston’s comeback, there were a couple of other second-stringers who also provided major energy boosts.

Jonas Jerebko played the entire final frame and accumulated an outstanding plus-19 rating during the quarter. He scored five points during the fourth, but he was arguably Boston’s most impactful defender during the final 12 minutes.

Then there was Marcus Smart, who Thomas says sparked the turnaround with a post-third quarter harangue in the Celtics’ huddle.

“Smart kind of went at us at the end of the fourth quarter and that woke us up,” said Thomas. “He was saying all the right stuff, like that we weren’t playing the way we needed to be playing. And that kind of turned the switch.”

Smart’s words must’ve particularly turned a switch for Rozier, who went full-on beast mode during the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter and helped lead Boston to an impressive comeback win.

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Roziering to the Occasion: Terry Triggers C's Rally

Marc D'Amico

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Scoring 17 straight points is typically a good thing for a team.  Monday night in Minnesota, it was a game-changing thing for the Boston Celtics.

Boston had truly struggled for a good quarter and a half of action leading up to the final period between the C’s and Timberwolves.  They just didn’t have it.

But then they found it – and they found it in a hurry.

The Celtics opened up the fourth quarter on a 17-0 run to turn a 13-point deficit into a four-point advantage.  The run lasted until the 5:18 mark of the fourth, when Karl-Anthony Towns put home a layup to end Minnesota’s eye-opening dry spell.

Boston’s run opened up with an infectious play that spread energy and effort throughout the team.  Terry Rozier drove into the lane and kicked the ball out to Jaylen Brown on the left wing.  Brown could have fired up a trey for himself, but instead, he made the “one-more” pass that coaches always love.  He drew his defender toward him and dropped a pass off to his left to Jonas Jerebko, who caught and fired from the left corner for three sweet points.

After that basket, the C’s began flying around at both ends of the court, and before anyone knew it, they were in control of the game.  They pulled ahead by as many as eight points during the fourth quarter and went on to win 99-93.

Al Horford is 2-for-2 in putting up big games since his return from a concussion.  Horford totaled 18 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals Saturday night in Detroit, and he was nearly just as good Monday night in Minneapolis.

Boston’s prized free agent acquisition went off for a season-high 20 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field against the Timberwolves.  He also added in six rebounds, five assists, three blocks and a steal during his 36 minutes of action.

What’s crazy about those numbers is that all of them – literally, every single one of them – either tied for the team high or was the outright team high in each respective category.  Horford led the team with 20 points and three blocks.  Meanwhile, he tied for the team high in field goal makes and attempts, rebounds, assists and steals.

Not a bad couple of games for a guy who just missed three weeks with a concussion.

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Keys to the Game: Celtics 99, Timberwolves 93

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Photos: Celtics vs. Timberwolves – Nov. 21, 2016

Monday, November 21 - Celtics at Timberwolves

Pregame – Thibs: Wiggins ‘Reminds Me of Paul’

MINNEAPOLIS – Andrew Wiggins was a threat to score in all areas of the court during his first two seasons in the NBA, with the exception of beyond the 3-point arc.

Minnesota’s up-and-coming wing shot a below-average 30.4 percent clip from 3-point range during his rookie and sophomore seasons, but suddenly he has emerged as one of the top 3-point threats in the league.

In fact, at this very moment, Wiggins shockingly leads the NBA in 3-point percentage with a 50 percent clip (23-of-46). His added range is enabling him to average 25.7 points per game and it’s another reason why opposing coaches are fretting over how to defend him.

“This is why he’s becoming such a threat, not that he wasn’t before,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Monday night before tipping off against Wiggins and the Minnesota Timberwolves. “When you’re shooting 50 percent from 3 with his ability to go to the rack, with his ability to post and do everything else… he’s got special talent.”

Wolves’ coach Tom Thibodeau provided further insight as to why Wiggins’ 3-point percentage has spiked, and pointed toward Minnesota’s improved ball movement as a major reason.

“Guys are making plays; they’re sharing the ball and making the extra pass,” said Thibodeau. “The 3s that we’re taking, for the most part, are very good. There’s ball movement, there’s penetration, there’s the collapse of the defense, pressure on the rim, and then there’s the extra pass. And so as long as they’re rhythm 3s, you’ll shoot a high percentage.”

That, coupled with Wiggins’ desire to improve his 3-ball, is the reason why he has been shooting so well of late. And it’s the reason why he’s developing into one of the most well-rounded scorers in the league.

Thibodeau even went so far as to compare the 21-year-old forward to a Celtics great who he coached while serving as an assistant under Doc Rivers.

“In some ways – you hate to compare players – but the way he can score in different ways, it reminds me of Paul (Pierce),” said Thibodeau. “He can score in the post. With his cutting he has the ability to draw fouls. He can score in transition, pick-and-roll, as a screener, as a ball-handler… just so many different ways that he can score.”

It’s quite a comparison to make, but keep an eye on Wiggins tonight when he takes the floor at 8 p.m. against the Celtics. Watch for his versatile scoring ability and see for yourself if he has a similar molding as Boston’s beloved No. 34.

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Pregame Post-Ups: Thibs Compares Wiggins to C's Great

MINNEAPOLIS – Al Horford will never forget the first time he met Karl-Anthony Towns.

The interaction took place roughly six years ago at the University of Kentucky where Horford and the Dominican Republic National team, coached by John Calipari at the time, were holding a practice.

Towns, whose mother is Dominican-born, was on a recruiting visit, so he took the opportunity to pop in and meet the national team members.

“What impressed me right away was, I think he wore like a size 17 or 18 shoe at (age) 14,” Horford recalled Monday morning ahead of Celtics shootaround before matching up against Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night.

“He was just very impressive right off the bat. And then I saw him shoot a little bit and he was already shooting 3s and very comfortable at that age, so that was something that really struck me.”

Towns, a 6-foot-10 high school freshman, made the Dominican National team in 2011 and Horford immediately took the 15-year-old under his wing.

Horford’s tutelage is something Towns will forever be grateful for, as he explained in a 2016 interview with mentoring.org.

“When you have someone who is with you every step of the way and is trying to help you and guide you to the right direction, it just makes life much easier but also makes life more fun,” Towns said in the interview.

“The biggest thing Al always told me on the court was to just, ‘Never take a day off and always go to your full potential.’  Him seeing himself a little bit in me really gave him the connection that we needed to really build a great bond.”

Towns says his bond with Horford played a major impact in helping him along his road to the NBA.

The young center starred at the University of Kentucky for one season before being drafted first overall in 2015 by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

During his rookie campaign last season, Towns averaged 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game and claimed Rookie of the Year honors. The 21-year-old is continuing to conquer his competition so far this season, as he has posted 21.8 PPG and 8.4 RPG through 12 games.

Many have been taken aback by the impact that Towns has had so early in his career, but Horford was not the least bit surprised with his success as he looked back Monday morning.

“Karl’s a very smart man,” said Horford. “From a very young age he was very mature, (had) really good work ethic and we all knew it was going to be a matter of time of when he was going to be at this level and dominating the way he’s been.”

Horford knows exactly what challenges he and the Celtics will face tonight, noting Towns’ “ability to really score from anywhere on the floor. He’s getting shots at a high volume and he’s being very efficient with that.”

While Horford is elated that his former protégé is experiencing great success, he hopes to resist Towns’ wrath tonight at 8 p.m. when the pair face off at Target Center.

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Al Horford’s Tutelage Paid Off for Wolves' Towns

MINNEAPOLIS -- Al Horford's return sparked the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. Coupled with Jae Crowder returning to the lineup, Boston is healthy again and looking like a team to compete in the Eastern Conference.

The Minnesota Timberwolves won't be competing until they find more consistency.

Horford and the Celtics travel to Minnesota on Monday night, having won four of their past six games. Horford scored 18 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals for Boston (7-6) in Saturday's 94-92 victory at Detroit.

"I felt really good," Horford said. "It was just very frustrating these past few weeks, dealing with a lot of different things. Finally I was at the point where I felt good enough to play."

Horford was Boston's prize free agent acquisition in the offseason, but he has been limited to four games because of a concussion. Crowder also returned Saturday for Boston after missing seven games with an ankle injury.

With the two starters back, the Celtics were at full strength with Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk going back to the bench to boost the second unit.

Horford scored with 1.3 seconds left and provided a key block on the other end to preserve the Celtics' win over the Pistons.

"We didn't call a timeout in the last four minutes. They just played," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "I felt like we had a good lineup in there to score and get to the basket, those types of things. Guys made the right reads and right plays."

Minnesota (4-8) was also on the road Saturday. But the Memphis Grizzlies stifled the Timberwolves' high-scoring offense in a 93-71 Memphis victory. Minnesota shot just 39.1 percent from the field and were held below 92 points for the first time this season.

In the process, the Timberwolves slipped to 15th in the NBA in scoring at 105.0 points per game. Minnesota had 16 turnovers and was outrebounded 46-34.

"There are three things -- your defense, your rebounding and your turnovers -- that put you in position to win," Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Two of those three we did not do well enough to win."

Andrew Wiggins was held to seven points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field in the loss. Wiggins had sparked the team offensively, averaging 33 points per game in his previous six games.

"That was a rare night for that kid," Memphis coach David Fizdale said of Wiggins. "He's an animal."

Wiggins will draw the defense of Crowder, who gives Boston a taller look after the team had started the 6-foot-4 Smart the previous five games. Horford could match up with Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 17 points and three rebounds on Saturday, or Gorgui Dieng, who finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.

Minnesota split four home games last week before traveling to Memphis. Monday will be the Timberwolves' sixth game in 10 days.

"We didn't play with energy," Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio said of Saturday's game. "It was like we were the ones who playing back-to-back."

20161121‑BOSMIN

Roziering to the Occasion: Terry Triggers C's Rally

Keys to the Game: Celtics 99, Timberwolves 93

Photos: Celtics vs. Timberwolves – Nov. 21, 2016

Pregame Post-Ups: Thibs Compares Wiggins to C's Great

Al Horford’s Tutelage Paid Off for Wolves' Towns

11/21 Game Preview: Celtics at Timberwolves