MINNEAPOLIS — Even with a roster ravaged by COVID-19, with the NBA's health and safety protocols forcing him to coach Monday night at Target Center without any of his starters, with a backup center he met two hours before tipoff, Wolves coach Chris Finch promised one thing about the game against Boston:
The team would play hard.
"I think 90 percent of the time we've stepped out onto the floor we've played hard, and we've played in a manner that makes everyone proud,'' Finch said pre-game. "That's what we're going to do tonight.''
They did all of that. And more. Down by double figures as late as the late third quarter, a monster 23-5 run from late in the third into the fourth put the Wolves up six, and Minnesota held on for a 108-103 victory over the Celtics.
Yes, the Wolves rotation was without all five starters, as well as Naz Reid, Taurean Prince, McKinley Wright IV. Between the two teams a total of 17 players were out because of the protocols. Yes, Finch had to use players with the Wolves on 10-day contracts, including center Greg Monroe, who hadn't played in an NBA game in more than two years and who arrived in the Twin Cities Monday afternoon.
Didn't matter. Jaylen Nowell came off the bench to score 29 points. Nathan Knight had a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double. Jaden McDaniels scored 17, Malik Beasley scored 15.
Monroe? He played 25 minutes, scored three pointe, but pulled down nine rebounds and had six assists.
That was enough to end a two-game losing streak, with the Wolves (16-17) slated to host the New York Knicks Tuesday night.
Boston (16-18) got 26 points from Jaylen Brown, but he needed 24 shots to get them. Payton Pirtchard scored 15.
Down 11 late in the third, the Wolves finished that quarter 9-3, then opened the fourth getting threes from Nowell, Knight and Beasley, pushing that run to 22-5. That put the Wolves up 87-81 on Beasley's three with 8:32 left in the game.
Out of a time out, Jordan McLaughlin hit one of two free throws and the Wolves run was 23-5 and their lead was 88-81.
At the start of the game the Wolves seemed unable to do anything right, and the Celtics took advantage, holding the Wolves without a field goal and taking an 11-2 lead on Langford's put-back 3 minutes and 24 seconds into the game.
But the Wolves responded. Over the next 4:04 they answered with a 15-1 run – one in which Beasley hit two three pointers, Nowell and McDaniels one each – to take a 17-12 lead. But, out of a time out, the Wolves were out-scored 17-4 over the rest of the quarter, trailing by six entering the second quarter.
The Wolves had another push in the second quarter, opening it 22-14 to go up 45-43 on Nowell's drive for a layup with 3;56 left in the half.
The Wolves didn't score again in the quarter, going 0-for-6 with two turnover in that stretch. The result was Boston's 14-0 finish to the half that put the Celtics up 56-45.
The Wolves didn't seem able to chip away at that lead, still trailing 76-65 late in the quarter.
But Minnesota put together a 9-3 end to the quarter – with Jake Layman scoring four and McDaniels converting on a three-point play. That pulled Minnesota within 79-74 entering the fourth.
