Understandably lost in the noise after the Celtics stumbled again on Monday against the Timberwolves — who were without their entire starting lineup — is the fact that the Celtics held a tenuous lead entering the fourth quarter.
In a 108-103 loss, the Celtics were outscored 34-24 in the final period. A 2-for-14 performance from 3-point range ultimately set them up for an embarrassing loss to Jaylen Nowell, Nathan Knight and Greg Monroe, and if you didn’t know who Nowell was before Monday’s game, don’t feel bad: Neither did Monroe.
“One of the poorest losses of the year,” Ime Udoka said after the game.