Timberwolves 110, Celtics 98
Kevin Martin scored 21 points in his return from a wrist injury as Minnesota snapped a 10-game home losing streak.
Martin, who had missed 34 straight games, had 12 of his points in the fourth quarter as the Timberwolves secured their first victory at the Target Center since Dec. 10. Zach LaVine scored 17 points, Gorgui Dieng had 16 and to go along with 14 rebounds, and Nikola Pekovic scored 14 for Minnesota, which made 28-of-32 free throws.
Jared Sullinger led Boston with 16 points and eight rebounds while Marcus Thornton had 15 points - 13 in the second half. Avery Bradley finished with 13 points while Marcus Smart and Tayshaun Prince chipped in 12 apiece off the bench for the Celtics, who finished a six-game road trip with a 3-3 record.
Martin scored seven points in the first quarter but missed all five of his shots in the second as Boston seized a 49-48 halftime lead, scoring the final eight points before the break. LaVine and Dieng combined to score 24 points in the third as the Timberwolves stormed in front by as many as 13 points, but the Celtics rallied again to get within 81-74 entering the fourth.
Thornton had six of the first eight points for Boston in the fourth and his layup made it 86-82 with eight minutes left before Martin responded with two 3-pointers and a three-point play in a personal 9-0 run. The Celtics never got closer than nine points down the stretch in falling to 14-11 all-time in Minnesota.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Celtics C Kelly Olynyk missed his fourth straight game with a right ankle sprain. ... Timberwolves PG Lorenzo Brown, who was signed to a 10-day contract, finished with 11 points in his first game since last March as a member of Philadelphia. ... F Thaddeus Young and F Andrew Wiggins scored 12 points apiece for Minnesota.