Recap: Celtics beat T-Wolves to Move to 1-0 in Post-Rondo Era

Six Celtics scored in double figures Friday night as the Celtics were able to beat the Timberwolves to pick up their third straight win and move to 10-14 on the season. The team shot 57% from the field and totaled 29 assists, exhibiting some excellent ball movement throughout the night. Kelly Olynyk registered another strong performance, leading the way with 21 points and 8 rebounds.

For the T-wolves, Shabazz Muhammad scored a team high 26 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

The first half was back and forth most of the way with the lead changing eight times. Kelly Olynyk sparked the offense initially with 11 of his 21 points coming in the first period, and Evan Turner picked up the slack in the second with 8 of his 10 points. The Celtics did a nice job getting out in transition with 15 fastbreak points in the first half, and went into the locker room with a five point lead.

The Celtics held the lead for the entire 3^rd quarter, but were unable to break away. After Minnesota cut the lead down to two at 90-88 with 8 minutes to play in the 4th, some key plays on both ends of the floor allowed the Cs finished the game on a 24-10 run to secure their tenth win of the year.

The Green:

• Kelly Olynyk: This is the 4^th straight game Kelly has reached double figures, as his hot shooting continues. His ability to knock down the deep ball sets up his pump fake well, which he uses to get in the lane and finish with a variety of moves. Four games in double figures a nice streak for Olynyk as he has struggled to be consistent. Let’s hope aggressive Kelly is here to stay.
• 29 Assists: One of the big question marks following the Rondo trade was whether or not the Celtics would be able to create easy shots and maintain their high assist totals without the league’s leading assist man. The Celtics proved tonight that they are capable of doing so. The ball movement was superb throughout, with guys making unselfish extra passes setting up their teammates for quality looks.
• Avery Bradley: Even though Avery didn’t have his greatest night shooting the basketball, he tied his career high with 7 assists to go along with 3 steals.
• Team Effort: Having six players in double figures and another two with 9 and 8 points respectively shows just how well the Celtics shared the ball tonight. It’s going to take more nights of balanced scoring to put together a couple more wins in Florida before Christmas.
• 68 Points in the Paint: The Cs got into the paint at will and it led to easy buckets all night.

The Gross:

• 6 4^th Quarter Turnovers: While the Celtics won the 4^th by 10 points, you never like to see a team turn it over 6 times in a quarter, especially the 4^th. A better team will take advantage of those late mistakes.

The Greenlights:

• Marcus Smart with some hustle

• Olynyk starting the break

• Olynyk with some more nice passing, Jeff Green hits a big shot

• Marcus Smart’s up and under

• Avery Bradley making plays on the defensive end

The Grid:

• Don’t look now, but with the win the Celtics have moved into the 8^th spot in the Eastern Conference as the Nets lost to the Cavs tonight. Brad Stevens said before the game he wants his team to compete, and they just might be able to in the East. Still, it doesn’t mean a whole lot in December, so just enjoy it while it lasts.
• The Cs will pack their bags for a two game road trip to Florida, with the Heat lined up for Sunday and the Magic on Tuesday before returning home the day after Christmas to take on Brooklyn.