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.

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown scored the Celtics’ first 15 points on five consecutive 3-pointers and finished with 29 points, before Boston withstood a late charge to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-105 on Sunday. Jayson Tatum added 26 points and eight rebounds to help Boston post a season-high fifth straight victory.