The lead ballooned to 19 a short time later but the Wolves responded by upping their defense and getting to the line. That helped Minnesota cut it to an 11-point game by the end of the third and creep within two with two minutes to play in the fourth.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday afternoon 107-105, narrowly avoiding what would have been an ugly loss. Instead, Boston earns a fifth consecutive win and advances to 14-3 for the season.