Sullinger helps Celtics beat Timberwolves 101-97

Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens suggested to forward Jared

Sullinger that he might want to keep an eye on Kevin Love and try

to learn whatever he could from the Timberwolves big man.

For one quarter on Monday night, Sullinger schooled the

Minnesota all-star.

Sullinger had 15 points and six rebounds in the fourth, hitting

a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 2:22 left and the Celtics held on to

beat the Timberwolves 101-97.

Sullinger, a second-year player who missed half of last season,

had 24 points and 11 rebounds in all while adding a career-high

five assists.

”He did take it up a notch at the end,” Stevens said of

Sullinger, who made one 3-pointer all last season but pulled

himself above 30 percent from the arc this season. ”He’s a scorer.

He’s always been a scorer. He’s been a scorer as long as I’ve known

him. It never surprises me when scorers make plays.”

Avery Bradley scored 19 points for the Celtics, who won for the

fifth time in seven games to hold onto first place in the Atlantic

Division despite a 12-14 record that would be 12th-best in the

Western Conference.

Love had 27 points and 14 rebounds for Minnesota, which has not

won in Boston since 2005. But he was 2 for 11 from 3-point range as

the Timberwolves, who hit a season-high 12 3-pointers at Memphis on

Sunday, went 8 of 29 from beyond the arc.

”I shot the ball good, it just didn’t go in,” Love said. ”It

was that way for all of our team. … We shot the ball pretty bad

the whole game. We beat that team the majority of the time we play

them.”

Love hit a 3-pointer to give Minnesota a 92-90 lead with 3:48 to

play, then Jordan Crawford tied it from the right baseline.

Sullinger missed a baby hook putback for Boston, but Alexey Shved

missed a 3-pointer and Sullinger then hit his 3 from the top of the

key to give Boston the lead for good.

”We made the right plays and I happened to be the

beneficiary,” Sullinger said. ”I was just wide open. I passed up

a lot of shots in the third quarter when I was wide open.”

Stevens said he’d like to see Sullinger do that more.

”Kevin is considered an elite NBA player, and Jared is a rising

NBA player. You look up to those guys, you study them and you

figure out what they do to make themselves elite,” Stevens said.

”If there’s a person in basketball that you can identify with,

those are good guys to learn from.”

Boston led 95-94 when Sullinger grabbed the rebound of J.J.

Barea’s miss and made free throws with 18 seconds left to make it a

three-point game. Nikola Pekovic missed a dunk, then Sullinger

grabbed another rebound and made one of two free throws with 14

seconds left to help ice it.

After Love missed a 3, Sullinger grabbed another rebound.

Bradley had 10 points in the first quarter to help the Celtics

open an eight-point lead. Love had six points and five rebounds for

Minnesota after one, but it was Luc Mbah a Moute who led the

Timberwolves in the second quarter, scoring seven points with four

rebounds to help them open a one-point lead before Sullinger’s free

throws just before the half gave Boston a 51-50 edge.

Pekovic scored the first seven points of the second half – all

but a free throw in the lane – to help the Wolves take a 57-51

lead. But Boston went on a 17-4 run to turn the six-point deficit

into a seven-point lead.

NOTES: Berea had 10 points and 11 assists for Minnesota. …

Minnesota F Dante Cunningham needed to be helped from the court

after he was fouled by Sullinger with just under 4 minutes

remaining in the game. … Minnesota beat Boston 106-88 in their

only other meeting this season, on Nov. 16. … The Timberwolves

played their third game in four nights. … First-round Boston

draft pick Kelly Olynyk had nine points in 14 minutes in his second

game back after missing 10 with a sprained right ankle.