The Boston Celtics beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-109 Thursday night at Target Center. The Wolves fall to 38-29 on the season and find themselves in a three-way tie for sixth place in the Western Conference playoff race.

Nemanja Bjelica led Minnesota with 30 points while also pulling down 12 rebounds, and Taj Gibson added 18 points in the loss for the Wolves. Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 23 points.

The Timberwolves are in the midst of a difficult stretch of eight straight games against teams in the playoff race. The Wolves are 0-3 so far in their test to see how they stack up against the best in the NBA.

The schedule doesn't get any easier on Sunday when the Wolves host the Golden State Warriors at Target Center. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. on AM 1240 WJON.

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