The Boston Celtics were able to emerge victorious on Wednesday night against a highly-motivated Minnesota Timberwolves team that appeared to have them on the ropes late in the contest. Thanks to Jayson Tatum, who had a combined 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime of the Celtics' 125-120 win over the Timberwolves (en route to finishing with 45 on the night), Boston has now moved to 18-0 at home at the current juncture of the season.

Winning 18 straight games at home to start the season marks a franchise-best for the Celtics, which is no mean feat given how many elite teams the franchise has fielded in the past. While this, on the surface, looks like a stat to be celebrated but not exactly something to make that big a deal out of, Tatum and company know just how important it is for the team to protect homecourt in this manner.

In his postgame presser, Jayson Tatum revealed what a big development it is for the Celtics to make TD Garden a fortress reminiscent of the olden days, especially as they try to compete for a championship that has eluded them for the past few seasons.

“It means a lot. I’ve been on record saying this — the last year or two, especially in the playoffs, we haven’t played that great at home. And, really, in my career, we never really lost at home. We're trying to get back to that. It’s good to get back on track,” Tatum said, per Noa Dalzell of SB Nation's Celtics Blog, via CLNS Media.

The Celtics, indeed, have lost a few key games at home over the past few years. In 2022, Boston lost a closeout game attempt against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden, and no one would ever forget the time that Stephen Curry put the Golden State Warriors on his back in Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals.

Last year, the Celtics lost the series opener against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the playoffs, and then they lost three games at home in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch against the Heat, including the first two games.

For Jayson Tatum and company, they look like they'll be the team gaining homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs if they continue this current level of play, so protecting homecourt will be of paramount importance.