NBA: Minnesota ends 21-year curse in Boston

A streak that felt eternal… until tonight

Some numbers hang over you. They stick. They start to feel inevitable.

Eighteen straight losses in Boston. The last win was back in 2005. A different era. A different world.

Then, on an almost unreal night, the Minnesota Timberwolves wiped it clean. 102-92 at the TD Garden. Clean. Commanding. Historic.

“I was five,” Bones Hyland said when he learned the date of the last win. That says it all.

Hyland catches fire, Minnesota sets the pace

Without Anthony Edwards, still out, the Wolves weren’t supposed to do this.

Sometimes basketball ignores the script.

Bones Hyland flipped the game. 23 points. Rhythm. Nerve.

Bones Hyland 23 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 8/14 FG, 3/7 3FG, 4/4 FT, 73% TS vs Boston pic.twitter.com/t8HWo8WMIC https://t.co/gerZRxQ50Y

— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) March 23, 2026

Alongside him, Jaden McDaniels (19) and Ayo Dosunmu (17, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) were right there.

And behind them, Rudy Gobert did what he does: own the paint, lock down possessions, snag 14 rebounds like it was nothing.

A solid, disciplined group that knew how to wait for its moment.

Boston folded at the worst possible time

For a long stretch, Boston had control.

+15 at halftime. They looked in command. Then, slowly, the game slipped.

Jayson Tatum, quiet in the first half, woke up after the break. 13 points in the third, an 11-0 spurt to kick off Boston. The TD Garden came alive.

But beneath that rally, there was a hole.

A real one.

The run that changed everything

Tight score, 81-80 Boston. Crunch time.

And Minnesota hit the gas.

Hyland buried a three from the wing. The play that swung the game. Then Naz Reid took over. Eight straight points, including an and-one, knockdown shots, pure energy.

The result: a 16-0 blast. Brutal. Final.

Boston never recovered.

Tatum too late, Brown left alone

Jaylen Brown tried to keep the Celtics afloat with 29 points. Derrick White added 15. Tatum finished with 16 and 11 boards.

But it all rang hollow.

The game was decided elsewhere — in Boston’s inability to answer that run, in the moment everything slipped away.

On a night when Boston could’ve tightened its grip in the East, this one hurts. Badly.

Minnesota sends a message without Edwards

Winning in Boston is hard.

Doing it without Anthony Edwards is another level.

This team showed character. Depth. And the ability to function as a unit even without their superstar.

A win like this isn’t just about the standings. It’s about belief.

A night to remember, momentum that could spark what’s next

Ending 21 years of drought in a place like the TD Garden doesn’t get forgotten.

It’s not just a win. It’s a statement.

Minnesota moves forward. Boston slips back a step. And the season keeps reminding one simple thing: nothing’s written in stone.

Especially in the NBA.

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