A lost pack of wolves: Timberwolves 110, Celtics 100

With no Paul Pierce and no Kevin Garnett, the Celtics just had no chance.

They fell to the Timberwolves, 110-100.

Nikola Pekovic, whose status was up in the air after an ankle injury forced him out of Minnesota's previous game, was the star of the game. He posted a game-high 29 points in 41 minutes. Minnesota force fed Pekovic the ball down low with the lack of Boston big men and he capitalized on nearly every opportunity.

Boston has now lost two straight, and with Milwaukee's win tonight, the Celtics now only hold a 2 game advantage -- Milwaukee only trails Boston by one game in the loss column -- over the Bucks for the seventh spot in the East.

Here's a recap:

The good:

* After struggling mightily over his last 10 games, Avery Bradley bounced back nicely. He scored a team-high 19 points on 8-of-14 from the field.

* The Celtics didn't lose because of bad offense. They shot 52% from the field and put up 100 points, and seven of the ten Celtics that saw action shot over 50%.

The bad:

* Points in the paint was a huge problem tonight, and the majority of that problem came from Pekovic. 8 of his 9 field goals came in the paint. Minnesota dominated Boston in the paint, outscoring them 62-38. Minnesota was 10-of-28 outside the paint, but they were 30-of-55 inside the paint. To say they exploited Boston's thin front line would be an understatement.

* Minnesota shot 93% from the free throw line. Boston shot 64%. Uh oh.

* Boston's defense is just not the same without Garnett. With him, they are one of the better teams in the NBA. Without him, they look like a lost pack of wolves. Yes, the pun was intended.


The Celtics will have tomorrow off before getting back to work on Wednesday night at TD Garden against the Detroit Pistons.