Kelly Olynyk scores 21, Celtics defeat Timberwolves
The Boston Celtics shot 48-85 (56.5%) from the field and dominated the offensive glass, pulling down 12 boards, in a 114-98 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Boston (10-14) has now won three consecutive games.
Kelly Olynyk came off the bench and scored 21 points on 8-13 shooting from the field (2-4 from behind the arc) and 3-6 from the free throw line. Other key performers for Boston were Jeff Green with 18 points and seven rebounds, Avery Bradley with 14 points and seven assists, and Jared Sullinger with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Shabazz Muhammad had a quality performance for Minnesota in the loss, scoring 26 points on 11-15 shooting.
The Celtics combined hot shooting (eFG% of 61.2%) with high-quality work on the offensive backboards (OR% of 35.3%). They are 1-1 on the season when exceeding 55% and 30%, respectively, in those metrics. The Timberwolves, however, are 1-2 when giving up those numbers to their opponents.
Minnesota (5-20) has now lost four straight games.
Coming up next, the Celtics battle the Miami Heat, who are 12-14 on the year. The Timberwolves meet the Indiana Pacers, currently 8-18 this season.
