Celtics set new franchise record in win over Wolves

BOSTON — The Celtics faced one of the best rim protectors in the NBA on Sunday in Rudy Gobert, so it’s no surprise they spent much of their 107-105 win over the Wolves living around the 3-point line. Boston attempted 56 of their 87 field goal attempts from beyond the arc in the contest, knocking down 37.5 percent of their attempts. That three-point rate of 64.4 percent of the team’s shot attempts set a new franchise record, breaking the team’s previous mark of 64.2 percent against the Knicks on opening night.

According to Celtics stat guru Dick Lipe, it was Boston’s 6th game this season shooting more than 60 percent of their shots from 3-point range. No other team has shot 60 percent of their shots from deep in a game this year.

Jaylen Brown led the charge from downtown in the win, going a season-best 7-of-10 from 3-point range including five straight to open the game in the first five minutes. Brown entered the game shooting 28.4 percent from 3-point range, so the highly efficient night was a welcome change for him.

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“I feel like I haven’t shot the ball to start the season as well as I would have liked,” Brown said. “I feel like I’m worthy of a lot of marks. I feel like my shots were good. I feel like I’m a great shooter, but I also feel like I’m good at other things: Getting to the basket, getting to the paint, drawing opportunities for my guys. So it’s just a balance. It’s a long season and I’m just focused on trying to win.”

Brown is actually just fourth on the team in 3-point attempts per game (7.5) with Jayson Tatum leading the way on that front. He bounced back from an 0-of-10 performance in Washington to go 5-of-12 from deep in the win. He is now third in the league in 3-point attempts per game. match and takes 11 per night.

“I think earlier in my career it would have bothered me a lot more,” Tatum said of the poor shooting night in Washington. “But you just understand that there’s so much more basketball to be played, so many games, that you know, in those moments, you feel like you’re the only person missing shots.

“Every great player, every great shooter has gone through slumps where they didn’t shoot well or had nights where they couldn’t hit shots. They always bounce back or respond and I think just having moments like that through my career, or tougher shooting nights, have become easier to handle or live with as I’ve gotten older.”

Boston’s season 3 points lead the league at 56 percent, and it’s a formula that works with so many weapons up and down the roster. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard are hoisting more 3s than ever while shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc. Sam Hauser still commands defensive respect despite his slow start from deep, and so does Brown.

With Boston still tied for No. 3 in the NBA in the midst of a 14-3 start, no one questions the extreme shooting.

“I like it when it goes in and I like it when we win,” White said.

The Celtics’ 3-point prowess will be tested against one of the best perimeter defenses in the NBA on Monday night when the Clippers come to TD Garden.