BOSTON _ Before Wednesday's 117-104 loss at Boston, somebody asked Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau if he had any kind of number in mind for what it'd take his team over these last 16 games for his team to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
"That's for you guys," he told reporters. "It makes it interesting for everybody."
With their margin for error shrinking with each mounting loss, the Wolves' odds aren't doing so as well with such evenings as Wednesday, when the Wolves led by 10 points in the second quarter but trailed by as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter.
By then, they had lost both reserve forward Nemanja Bjelica to an ankle injury in the second quarter and Lance Stephenson to a leg injury after he hadn't played two minutes in his first action since recovering from a sprained ankle and after signing a second 10-day contract with the Wolves.
Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas scored 19 of his 27 points in the first half and teammate Al Horford scored 20 points a night when Boston took control late in the second quarter and just kept going. Avery Bradley added 18.
Thibodeau again said before the game he doesn't want his team counting victories and losses. Rather, he wants them to prepare to win.
"I want us to establish a routine," Thibodeau said. "If you look ahead and skip steps, that's how you slip. I don't want that. I want them to understand where we are and want them to understand what goes into winning each game and how you prepare. That shouldn't change. You know your opponent well, you have your routine established and you don't get lost"
If not lost, the Wolves were soundly beaten by the Eastern Conference's second-best team.
Trailing 46-36 midway through the second quarter, the Celtics caught the Wolves and passed them thanks to a 7-0 run late in the second quarter that brought them within 60-58 by halftime. They then started the second half on a 14-6 run that gave them an eight-point lead that grew to as many as 13 points by the fourth quarter's opening minutes.
The Wolves were within 78-75 with fewer than three minutes left in the third quarter, but the Celtics ended the quarter and started the fourth with a 12-2 run in which the Wolves, like Saturday's finish at Milwaukee, couldn't score while Boston scored nearly every time down.
The Wolves began a three-game trip that takes them to Miami for Friday's game and to New Orleans for Sunday's game.
Two losses, maybe even one, could essentially end any real chance they have of catching Denver for the Western Conference's eighth and final spot.
So if every game from here on now is the proverbial must-win, the Wolves opened Wednesday by losing soundly.
The Wolves lost Bjelica when he left the game in the second quarter because of an injury to his left ankle and did not return.
Until Wednesday, Bjelica had delivered four double-double point/rebound games in his last seven, averaging 9.9 points and 8.3 rebounds in that span. His 12 rebounds in Friday's victory over Golden State were a season high.
Thomas entered the game aimed at having the second-highest scoring average of any Celtic in the franchise's illustrious history.
He arrived averaging 29.2 points a game and did nothing to damage that by scoring 19 of his 27 points in the first-half alone by making two 3-pointers, getting to the rim for layups and fouls that sent him to the free-throw line as well.
"He can shoot from anywhere," Rubio said before the game. "He's really fast, quick. You've got to be attached all the time. If he gets loose or gets any space, he's going to shoot it. He's hot right now and he's making all the shots."
Rubio wasn't too tepid himself entering Wednesday's game. He had a triple-double, two consecutive 22-point games and Monday's career-high 19 assists in his last five games and had outplayed such star point guards as Chris Paul, Stephen Curry and John Wall in that time.
Rubio's improved play and increased scoring were two of the factor contributing to the Wolves' 6-3 record since the All Star break before Wednesday's loss.
"It's important to hold those guys down, but Curry, Chris Paul, you can't stop those guys by yourself," Rubio said. "It's a team issue. Our defense has stepped up lately and that's the way we're going to keep going."
Thomas presented a particularly unusual challenge, given his small stature and big game.
Rubio exhaled when asked about defending Thomas.
"It's tough, it's one of the toughest matchups in the league," Rubio said. "You just have to try to make his life hard."
