Jaylen Brown admitted the Minnesota Timberwolves took advantage of an "uncharacteristic" Boston Celtics performance by playing harder.

The Timberwolves earned a 102-92 win over the Celtics on Sunday, winning in Boston for the first time since 2005 and ending a 0-18 stretch at TD Garden.

Boston jumped out to a 23-14 lead at the end of the first half and fought their way back in front, going 81-78 up with 10:12 remaining in the game.

However, the Minnesota defence was suffocating in the fourth quarter, holding Boston to 5-of-26 from the field, while they were also 0-of-7 from 3-point range in the final frame.

Brown, who scored a game-high 29 points, was left frustrated with the manner of the win as the Celtics saw their four-game winning streak snapped.

"Fourth quarter, they got it rolling, and we didn't respond," Brown said. "We didn't answer. So they just kept piling on.

"They were physical. They played fast. They definitely upped their level of intensity. We didn't necessarily meet the challenge.

"That's what the story of the game was. We gotta be better. We gotta be ready for that. That was uncharacteristic of us. We're usually the harder-playing team, and [on Sunday], Minnesota was."

Final pic.twitter.com/alLVDvTh16

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 23, 2026

The Celtics' loss could be a costly one, as it cut their lead over the New York Knicks to half a game for second place in the Eastern Conference.

They also now trail the Detroit Pistons by four and a half games at the top.

For Minnesota, the game was turned by Bones Hyland, who tied a season-high by scoring 23 points off the bench.

Jaden McDaniels scored 19 points, while Ayo Dosunmu finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Timberwolves improved to 3-1 since Anthony Edwards went down with a knee injury.

"It feels good to be here," Hyland said. "Everyone loves each other. We go out shopping together. We eat together.

"It's a fantastic team, phenomenal team. Everyone can step up and contribute to winning. That's what we're doing right now, creating the vibes for the playoffs."