By KATE HEDLIN
STATS Writer

Boston (5-0) at Minnesota (1-3), 8:00 p.m. EDT

While the Boston Celtics are coming off a hot-shooting
performance, players will always focus on defense.

With Kevin Garnett set to play at the Target Center for the
second time as a visitor, the Celtics look to extend their
unbeaten start when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on
Wednesday night.

Boston (5-0) is one of three remaining unbeaten teams along with
Denver and Phoenix. The Celtics, though, have the NBA's best
scoring defense, holding opponents to 79.8 points per game.

Boston is coming off one of its best defensive efforts so far
this season in a 105-74 victory at Philadelphia on Tuesday. The
76ers shot 36.3 percent and was 1 of 16 from 3-point range.

That helped make up for an off night by two of Boston's Big
Three. While Paul Pierce had a led the team with 21 points, Ray
Allen scored five and Garnett went 1 of 7 from the floor to
finish with three, his fewest since being held to two by Dallas
as a rookie in 1996.

Garnett, the Wolves' all-time leader in virtually every category
over 12 seasons with the franchise, missed his initial return in
February 2008 due to an abdominal strain, but scored a team-high
17 in Boston's 95-78 victory on Nov. 21.

The Celtics, who are shooting 51.4 percent from the field to tie
the Suns for the league lead, got a boost against the Sixers
from Philadelphia native Rasheed Wallace. He connected on six of
the Celtics' season-high 14 3-pointers and finished with 20
points.

Boston is averaging 101.4 points this in 2009-10, up a fraction
from last season's total. Through five games, the Celtics are
holding opponents to 38.5 percent shooting, including 25.6 from
3-point range.

"It starts with defense for us," Kendrick Perkins told the
league's official Web site. "We know we're going to get our
points. The points will be there. In the Eastern Conference,
it's about getting stops."

Boston should have a well-rested starting lineup Wednesday. No
starter played more than 31 minutes and Garnett was on the court
for only 23 before being pulled with the game out of hand.

Boston has won five straight over Minnesota (1-3), which is
coming off a 93-90 loss to the Clippers on Monday for its third
straight defeat.

The Timberwolves were outscored 25-14 at the free-throw line
while taking 16 fewer attempts. Los Angeles hit four free throws
in the final 19.4 seconds to secure the win.

Al Jefferson scored 24 for the Timberwolves while Corey Brewer
had 14, but missed a well-guarded 3-pointer at the buzzer.

"We haven't yet gotten to the point where we know what play
we're going to run with a low-clock situation and no timeouts
when you've got to get the ball up the floor," first-year
Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis said. "That's my fault that we
haven't had the time to work on plays in that situation, but I
like the fact that they got back in the ballgame and gave
themselves a chance to win."

Acquired from the Celtics in 2007 as part of the trade that sent
Garnett to Boston, Jefferson has averaged 22.5 points the last
two games - up from 10.5 in the first two.

He is coming off a torn ACL that limited him to 50 games last
season, but his minutes have increased in each game so far and
he logged nearly 35 against the Clippers.