NBA power rankings: Celtics rise to No. 11 after 2-1 week

The Boston Celtics improved to 11-9 on the season with two wins in the last week and are now just outside of the top 10 in the latest SB Nation NBA power rankings. After wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers, Boston moved up two spots to No. 11 in this week's power rankings.

Boston began the week on Wednesday, beating Minnesota 104-94 at home. Kevin Garnett led the way in the win, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Paul Pierce added 18 points of his own.

Friday and Saturday were back-to-back contests with the Sixers. Philadelphia took the first matchup, 95-94, in overtime despite a game-high 27 points from Pierce and a triple-double from from Rajon Rondo. Boston came back home and won the second meeting, 92-79.

About the Celtics' No. 11 ranking and 2-1 week, SB Nation's Seth Rosenthal wrote:

Boston's defensive rotations and overall efficiency looked a lot sharper this past week, albeit against the deficient offenses of the Wolves and 76ers. The offensive contributions of Jason Terry and Jeff Green have been sort of either/or lately (Most recently, Green was productive in both Philadelphia games, while Terry struggled from the field), but the top guns are producing. We'll see how that defense holds in a tough, road-heavy rest of 2012.

The Celtics are off until Wednesday when they host the Dallas Mavericks at 8 p.m.

To see where Rosenthal ranked the rest of the league and what he had to say about who rose and who fell, be sure to check out the full SB Nation NBA power rankings here.