Boston Celtics move into first in East with win over Timberwolves

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics coach Ime Udoka has his priorities set for the final push to the playoffs, and trying to figure out Boston’s best matchup isn’t among them.

“Teams manipulate where they want to play. We’re not concerned about that,” the rookie head coach said on Sunday after the Celtics cruised past the Minnesota Timberwolves 134-112 and climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference.

“There’s too much closeness to try to manipulate things and pick an opponent,” Udoka said. “Home court advantage is the main thing, and let the chops fall where they’re going to fall.”

Jayson Tatum scored 34 and Jaylen Brown had 31 points and 10 rebounds to lead Boston to its sixth straight win. The Celtics won for the 24th time in their last 28 games and, combined with the 76ers loss to Phoenix, took over the No. 1 spot in the East.

Boston and Miami have the same record at 47-28. The Celtics have beaten the Heattwice this season, and the teams meet again Wednesday.

“It’s been a journey,” Tatum said. “We had to find our identity. Lost some teammates; got some new guys. We’ve had to battle, but it’s been fun. We had some tougher times, but we’ve benefited from it, and made us better.”

This win came at the expense of the team that until recently had been the one of the hottest in the NBA: Minnesota is 12-5 since the All-Star break, winning 10 of 11 before back-to-back losses to Phoenix and Dallas this week.

Anthony Edwards scored 24 and Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 as the Timberwolves opened a four-game road trip with a loss – their third in four games.

The Celtics scored 13 of the first 15 points in the second quarter to open a double-digit lead they never relinquished. It was 72-49 at halftime.

By that point, the only question was whether