But Minnesota could not handle the Mavericks in the conference finals, and this year it appears to have taken a step back after trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown scored the Celtics’ first 15 points on five consecutive 3-pointers and finished with 29 points, before Boston withstood a late charge to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-105 on Sunday. Jayson Tatum added 26 points and eight rebounds to help Boston post a season-high fifth straight victory.

The Boston Celtics earned a tough home win against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday afternoon. With a 107-105 win, Boston moves to 17-3 in the standings. Minnesota was one of the league's best teams last year, and came within a few games of ...