Fallen Timber

When executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge lies awake worried about what will become of the Celtics (15-23), he can think back to the performances of Jefferson and Perkins in a 103-96 victory over the Timberwolves last night at the TD Banknorth Garden. It may not allow him to rest easy, but it shows the team is taking steps forward. To claim the two 21-year-olds came of NBA age in the win would be a wild overstatement. With the exception of Delonte West, none of the Celtics' young players has shown the ability to put together a stretch of good games.

But today there is more hope than yesterday. For a team sliding toward the bottom of the Atlantic Division and still believing it can make the playoffs, every little bit helps.

''I get tired of people saying [Kendrick and I] are not ready to play together," said Jefferson (18 points, eight rebounds). ''I feel like we are. We're both composed and we both can shoot the ball. When he scored, I felt like I scored. When I scored, he felt like he scored. I feel we're going to see this a lot more in the future.

''It's going to be our time one day. Hopefully, for the rest of the season we're going to give them a little taste of how it's going to be."

Boston took the lead for good, 83-82, on a layup by Perkins with 4 minutes 49 seconds remaining. The teams traded baskets before a 19-footer from Jefferson and a reverse layup from Perkins helped the Celtics stretch their advantage. Davis found Jefferson for a layup that capped a decisive 12-2 run and pushed Boston ahead, 91-84, with 1:58 to go. Pierce effectively sealed the victory when he hit a 3-pointer from in front of the Minnesota bench with one second remaining on the shot clock. With less than a minute remaining, Jefferson and Perkins left the game to a crescendo of applause from the crowd of 15,859.