BOSTON — The Boston Celtics said goodbye to their captain and then said hello to their third straight win on Friday night.
With Rajon Rondo in Dallas courtesy of a trade that brought the Celtics three players and two draft picks, his old team responded with a spirited 114-98 victory over the injury-ravaged Minnesota Timberwolves.
Up by two points with 7:55 left, the Celtics went on a 13-4 run, scoring the last eight points of that burst, to put the game away.
Forward Kelly Olynyk, on fire during Boston’s run of three wins in five nights, came off the bench to lead six Celtics in double figures with 21 points (to go with eight rebounds and three assists) as Boston improved to 10-14.
During the winning streak, Olynyk has scored 66 points, going 26 of 38 from the floor, including 7 of 13 from 3-point range. He also has 23 rebounds in the three games.
Forward Jeff Green had 18 points and seven rebounds and center Tyler Zeller, forward Jared Sullinger and Avery Bradley chipped in with 14 points apiece. Sullinger had 10 rebounds and Bradley had seven assists and five rebounds.
Rookie guard Marcus Smart, who will get more time with the new-look roster, returned from his second foot injury, scoring all eight of his points in the fourth quarter. He had four assists.
The loss was the fourth in a row and 10th in the last 11 games for Minnesota (5-20).
Forward Shabazz Muhammad, starting after Corey Brewer was traded to the Houston Rockets earlier in the day, matched his career high with 28 points, while forward Chase Budinger had 19 off the bench.
The Wolves were missing over 60 points per game if you combine the scoring averages of Brewer and three injured players, including the 20.4 points of guard Kevin Martin.
NOTES: Celtics president Danny Ainge on dealing Rajon Rondo: “It was hard. … I loved watching Rajon, I loved visiting with him. Our one-on-one conversations were fun, entertaining, frustrating sometimes. And always a surprise.” … The three new Celtics arrived but didn’t play. They will debut Sunday night at Miami. With three players coming and two (Rondo and Dwight Powell) leaving, the Celtics also waived C Vitor Faverani, who is recovering from knee surgery. … F Shabazz Muhammad started for the Timberwolves in place of F Corey Brewer, traded to the Houston Rockets for G Troy Daniels and two draft picks. In Houston, Brewer is reunited with coach Kevin McHale, who drafted him in Minnesota. … The Timberwolves host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night. … Boston C Tyler Zeller addressed the crowd with holiday wishes before the game. … The Celtics, who have flexible ticket prices, raised prices for Rondo’s Jan. 2 return.
Jazz 101, Magic 94
ORLANDO, Fla. — Forward Derrick Favors had 23 points and 10 rebounds on Friday night to lead the Utah Jazz to a 101-94 victory over the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center.
The Jazz, who beat the Heat in Miami on Wednesday night, never trailed after early in the first quarter, leading by as many as 17 points in the third.
Guard Gordon Hayward had 20 points, including 18 in the second half when he repeatedly stopped each Magic surge. He added six assists. Center Enes Kanter and guard Trey Burke each had 11 points.
Forward Tobias Harris led the Magic with 24 points. Guard Evan Fournier had 21 points.
The Jazz shot 53.4 percent (39 of 73) from the field, their second consecutive game of shooting better than 50 percent.
The Magic never got closer than six points in the fourth quarter. Harris hit back-to-back baskets as Orlando closed to 98-92, but Hayward was there to answer with two free throws to shut the door.
The Jazz led 87-74 with 8:25 remaining after a score by Kanter, but the Magic pulled to 87-80 with three consecutive baskets. A 3-pointer by Harris cut the deficit to 92-86, but Utah again answered by reopening a 10-point lead with 2:57 remaining.
Hayward sparked the Jazz with 12 points in the third quarter. They led by as many as 16 points and took a 81-66 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Jazz led 49-43 at intermission because of their hot shooting. They were 14 of 20 for 70 percent in the first quarter and led 29-17. They were shooting 59.5 percent (22 of 37) at halftime when Favors led all scorers with 13 points.
Fournier scored eight consecutive points for the Magic at the start of the second quarter when they cut the deficit to 37-31. Magic rookie Elfred Payton had two baskets and an assist in the final two minutes before halftime.
Utah was coming off an upset victory in Miami on Wednesday and opened the game in a similar aggressive style of play.