Anthony Edwards’ “Starting 5” slight didn’t go unnoticed by Jayson Tatum.
During the first season Netflix’s NBA docuseries, in which Edwards and Tatum both played starring roles, cameras caught the former questioning the latter’s elite status after a Timberwolves win over the Celtics.
“Y’all talking about ‘best player in the league,’” Edwards said last November. “Y’all tripping.”
Tatum was asked about that comment after Boston defeated Edwards’ Wolves 107-105 on Sunday at TD Garden. He’d heard about it, the Celtics star said, but didn’t seem to mind. Tatum described his rivalry with Edwards as a friendly one that he enjoys.
“I mean, I saw it,” Tatum said. “We were talking a lot of (expletive) to each other during the summer. I’ve got a pretty good record against Minnesota in my career. That was the one time they beat us so far. But it’s fun. They’re a really good team. They’re well-coached. They’ve got some talent over there.
“So I’m certain, for the near future, games against those guys will be really fun ones.”
The last four matchups between the Celtics and Wolves were decided by two, five, seven and two points, with two going to overtime. Those nailbiters — three of which were won by Boston — were a popular topic of conversation while Tatum and Edwards were teammates on the U.S. Olympic team.
“We had two good games against each other last year,” Tatum said. “Obviously, we spent the summer together at the Olympics. I love Ant. He’s a hell of a player, a hell of a competitor. He talks a lot, and he had a lot to say this summer about the games we played against him last year, and he was excited to play against us this year.
“You enjoy playing against the other best players in the league. It’s always fun and competitive.”
Tatum bounced back from an ugly shooting performance Friday night against Washington to score 26 points against Minnesota, going 5-for-12 from 3-point range. Edwards led Minnesota with 29 points and was 6-of-11 from deep.
Lockdown Brown
Jaylen Brown scored the Celtics’ first 15 points — on five 3-pointers — and hit what proved to be the game-winning three with 1:16 remaining. He also locked down Edwards on the game’s final play, forcing Minnesota to settle for a Naz Reid three that failed to beat the buzzer.
“They ran that same play out of bounds three or four times,” Brown explained, “so I pre-switched with (Tatum). Because they wanted to get me off of Ant Man, so I pre-switched. I switched right to him so I was on the ball. He’s good going to his left hand, but I just wanted to crowd him a little bit, make it tough for him and waste some time. And if he did go up to score, I was going to be able to challenge him at the rim. He kicked it out. I’m not sure if Naz Reid got it off, but I think it was a good defensive possession.”
Head coach Joe Mazzulla lauded Brown’s defensive prowess.
“It’s great to have a player of his caliber take defense to another level and take matchups personally,” Mazzulla said. “When your best players are your best defenders, it kind of sets the tone for your team and your locker room defensively. So he takes pride in individual matchups, and he did a great job of that tonight.”
Kornet scratched
Luke Kornet played one of his best games of the season Friday night in Washington, but an injury prevented him from suiting up Sunday. The backup center was a late scratch due to right hamstring tightness, with the Celtics adding him to their injury report less than 90 minutes before tipoff.
Boston’s frontcourt did receive a boost in the form of Al Horford, who returned to the starting lineup after missing the Wizards game with an illness. But Kornet’s status will be important to monitor entering Monday night’s matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 38-year-old Horford typically does not play back-to-back nights, so the Celtics’ big man depth would be seriously stretched if Kornet also can’t go against the Clippers.
Against Minnesota, Mazzulla went with Xavier Tillman as Horford’s top backup over Neemias Queta, who struggled in the previous two games. Tillman had three points, four rebounds and one block in 14 minutes, and Queta did not leave the bench.
Porzingis update
Speaking of Celtics bigs, Kristaps Porzingis continues to make positive progress in his rehab.
“He’s been on the court,” Mazzulla said. “He’s been working hard to get back. He’s doing a great job of doing that, and we look forward to having him back.”
Porzingis, who reached what the team called the “next phase of his recovery” last week, has yet to play this season as he works his way back from offseason leg surgery. Joined the Celtics’ G League team for one practice last Monday and has gone through a series of extensive pregame workouts.
Mazzulla would not say whether Porzingis has been medically cleared for full basketball activities. The Celtics and the center reportedly are targeting a December return to game action.
Off the rim
Ray Allen was in attendance Sunday. The 2008 Celtics champion received a hearty ovation when he was shown on the Jumbotron during a first-quarter timeout. … Asked whether he was surprised that the Wizards continued fouling the Celtics down 10 on Friday, Mazzulla replied: “Very much so.” The parade of late free throws helped Boston pad its NBA Cup point differential, which is an important group-play tiebreaker. Mazzulla said he’s on board for anything that differentiates the NBA Cup from standard regular-season games, so he likes the point differential factor, even if it leads coaches to manage games differently in the final minutes. The Celtics are 2-1 in NBA Cup play, with their final Group C game set for this Friday at Chicago. … Grant Williams’ season is over. The former Celtics forward, who courted controversy with his shoulder check on Jayson Tatum earlier this month, tore his ACL, meniscus and other knee ligaments during Saturday night’s Hornets-Bucks game, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
