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Celtics set new franchise record in win over Wolves

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

According to Celtics stats guru Dick Lipe, it was Boston’s sixth game this season with more than 60 percent of their shots coming from three-point range. No other team has taken 60 percent of their shots from deep in a game this year.

Jaylen Brown led the charge from downtown in the win, shooting a season-best 7-of-10 average from 3-point range, including five in a row, to open the game in the opening five minutes. Brown came into 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 as well as I would have liked to start the season,” Brown said. “I feel like I need to get a lot of makeup. 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 as well: getting to the basket, getting to the paint, creating opportunities for my guys. So it’s just a balance. It’s a long season and I’m just focused on getting wins.”

Brown actually only ranks fourth on the team in three-point attempts per game (7.5), with Jayson Tatum leading the way on that front. He rebounded from an 0-for-10 performance in Washington to go 5-for-12 deep in the win. He now ranks third in the league in three-point attempts per game, taking 11 per night.

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

“Every great player, every great shooter has had a slump where he didn’t shoot great, or had nights where he couldn’t shoot. They always bounce back or respond and I think having moments like that throughout my career, or tougher shooting nights, has become easier to deal with or live with as I’ve gotten older.

Boston’s three-point percentage on the season leads 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 respect from defenses despite his slow start from deep, and the same goes for Brown.

With Boston still running the third-ranked offense in the NBA amid a 14-3 start, no one is doubting its extreme shot yield.

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

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