- BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown has been a great supporter of Anthony Edwards’ improvement as he leads the West’s finest Timberwolves. They’re both from the Atlanta region, so there’s a lot of fraternity and camaraderie between two of the game’s top guards.
The matchup between the Wolves and the Celtics on Wednesday was a battle of the best teams in each league. The initial iteration was a lot of fun as the teams battled into overtime. That happened again on Wednesday, when the Celtics won a thrilling 127-120 overtime triumph. While the two Atlanta-area guards were fighting, Brown delivered his message to Edwards.
“My whole thing was: not tonight,” Brown stated following a 35-point performance. “We can’t let him do to us what he’s done to everyone else, especially after the first match.” I believe he got the better of us in the first match, but we weren’t having it tonight. So, any opportunity we can get a guy to turn him over, we’ll take rash shots. He still made some difficult decisions, but I thought we did a terrific job on him as a team. But, no, I was the serpent on the head of that.”
As Jayson Tatum pointed out, the Celtics recall what Edwards did to them earlier this season. Edwards executed his position well as the rising star in a 114-109 overtime Wolves triumph on Nov. 6, 2023. During the overtime period, the guard scored 38 points and was everywhere.
With that overpowering Edwards still fresh in the Celtics’ minds, Brown took the contest personally, with lots of talking. Edwards finished with 29 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 11-for-25 shooting. That’s what he does as one of the league’s top scorers. But there was no way the Celtics were going to let him cook like he did in November, when he used Brown and others to make life miserable for himself.
Brown “really just took the challenge,” Tatum added. “We have a fantastic memory.” We used to play those guys in Minnesota. We recall how it felt to lose that game and how the game ended. So we were really looking forward to this moment, and it was fantastic to watch JB take on that task.”
Wednesday’s game was quite enjoyable. The C’s had an early lead, but the Wolves took control for the duration of the second half. Boston appeared to be finished with a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter. However, some heroics by Brown and Tatum forced overtime, and Tatum detonated in the extra period. Tatum’s 45 points were the highlight, but Brown’s two-way play was crucial.
The Celtics and Wolves are at various stages of development right now. After so many close calls in recent years, the C’s are hoping to take the next step toward becoming champions. The Wolves are attempting to establish themselves as a Western threat, but they have yet to win a postseason series with their current lineup. On the court, however, all that was seen Wednesday was two teams fighting out a great game, with haymakers from both sides.
“Tonight was just a night where we’re playing against a young superstar in Anthony Edwards, where he’s going to be aggressive,” Brown said in a statement. “He’s young, and he seeks out situations like this.” You can tell he wants to play against big stars and big teams.
