Nikola Vucevic will remain unavailable with a broken finger when the Boston Celtics face the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, but that doesn’t mean Boston won’t have a quality center.
Luka Garza has given the Celtics (47-23) more offense since Vucevic was injured on March 6. Garza averages 7.6 points for the season, but has scored at least 15 points in three of his last four games. That includes a season-high 22 in Friday night’s 117-112 victory over Memphis.
Garza also had seven rebounds, five of which came at the offensive end.
“He was great on both ends of the floor,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He does a great job screening. They (the Grizzlies) play a hectic style. They put a ton of pressure on you from a physicality standpoint and you have to be able to read and make plays and play through physicality. No one’s better at that than Luka.”
Vucevic, who had surgery on his ring finger March 7, isn’t expected back until the first half of April, so Garza likely will maintain his more significant role until then.
“Guys have always stepped up,” Garza said. “In my position, just try to make the little plays and help us win. So it’s definitely fun when you’re the guy doing that.
“I love being a part of this team. We play hard every single night no matter what, and I think when you do that, you put yourself in a good position.”
Jaylen Brown tossed in 30 points during Friday’s game, which extended Boston’s winning streak to four. Brown averages 28.5 points, which ranks fifth in the NBA.
The Timberwolves (43-28) were again without Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid for Friday night’s 108-104 loss to Portland. Edwards, who’s dealing with inflammation in his right knee, ranks third in the NBA with his 29.5 points per game. The Timberwolves are 2-1 in the three games Edwards has missed with the injury. Reid has missed the last two games with a right ankle sprain.
Minnesota allowed 68 points in the first two quarters of Friday’s loss, but limited Portland to 40 in the final two quarters.
“There wasn’t defensive intensity in the first half,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “Thirty-three and 35 in the first two quarters and 40 in the last two tells the story.”
Minnesota trailed Portland by 18 at one point in the second quarter.
“Slow start … a step behind everything in the first quarter,” Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert said. “We got down 18 points and then we started playing hard. The last few games we’ve had a lot of these starts. We got to figure it out because we put ourselves in a tough position.
“We have to find a way to start the game more fired up — be mentally ready at the start of the game. It’s not physical, right? I think it’s just being mentally ready to start the game. We were warmed up, it’s not physical. It’s just mentally being a little sharper at the beginning of the game.”
