MINNEAPOLIS — The Timberwolves came into their final three games of the season saying all the right things about how this would be a measuring stick for where they stood headed into the offseason.
After a competitive loss to a good Denver team on Thursday, the Wolves turned heel Saturday and looked like a team that would much rather be done with the season.
An injured Boston team that has had its struggles this season walked away with a breezy 124-108 victory.
The Wolves just couldn't shoot — they were a woeful 5 of 37 from 3-point range with only one starter, Anthony Edwards, hitting a 3. Jayson Tatum had 26 to lead Boston while Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 for the Wolves. Edwards finished with 23.
Afternoon games can be ragged because a lot of players tend to sleep in the afternoon before night games, but the Wolves seem affected by this more than their opponents.
After jumping out to a 9-2 lead it was downhill the rest of the first half.
None of the Wolves starters made a 3 in the first half as Boston led 66-47 at halftime. Tatum shot just 4 of 12 in the half and Boston shot 45%, but the Wolves' offense stagnated. Towns was 8 of 16 but other than that the Wolves were 10 of 31.
Evan Fournier had four 3s in the half for the Celtics, who were playing without Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown.
The Wolves couldn't hit and Boston didn't much double Towns in the post, reducing the number of open shots along the perimeter. Edwards was 2 of 7, D'Angelo Russell 2 of 8 in the first half.
The Wolves seemed disinterested with wanting to play and in the third quarter could do little to chip away at Boston's lead. Their defense also put up little resistance. Edwards finally hit a 3, bringing the starters to 1 of 19 from 3-point range through three quarters.
Boston's lead vacillated only between 15 and 21 the entire third as the Wolves' bench unit provided a little life later in the quarter, but not much and never cut it to double digits in the fourth.
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