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  Saturday, Mar. 11 8:30pm ET
Minnesota 100, Houston 86
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

HOUSTON (AP) _ Terrell Brandon scored 24 points, and Minnesota built an early lead and held on to defeat the Houston Rockets 100-86 Saturday night, the Timberwolves' fifth straight road victory.

Steve Francis led Houston with 19 points after missing his first five shots from the field. Carlos Rogers had 12 points for the Rockets.

Wally Szczerbiak had 19 points for Minnesota, while Kevin Garnett scored 17 and Anthony Peeler 11.

Minnesota outscored Houston 17-7, including seven by Brandon, to open the second half, giving the Wolves a 70-52 lead with 6:11 left in the third quarter. Houston rallied to make it 72-65 with 2:29 left before Minnesota settled for a 78-65 lead going into the final 12 minutes.

The Rockets rallied again in the fourth period, closing to 84-75 on a pair of free throws by Francis with 8:42 left. But Minnesota responded with a 12-3 run to lead 96-78 with 3:43 left.

Brandon scored 11 points in the first quarter, five of them during a 9-2 run that gave the Wolves a 25-17 lead.

The Timberwolves started the second period with an 18-7 run, seven by Szczerbiak, to take a 43-24 lead with 7:23 left in the half. Houston closed to 53-45 at halftime after scoring the final eight points of the half.

Notes: Houston has used 17 different lineups and 14 players this season. ... Hakeem Olajuwon needs 12 rebounds to pass Jerry Lucas (12,942) for 11th place on the NBA's career rebounding list. ... Garnett has reached double-figure scoring in 191 straight games, the longest current streak in the NBA. ... Minnesota has been outscored in the fourth quarter in seven of its last 11 games, but the Timberwolves have won nine of those. ... Minnesota has won 16 of 22 road games after losing 17 of 18 dating back to last season.

 


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RECAPS
Atlanta 91
Vancouver 86

Portland 99
Detroit 94

Orlando 110
Denver 107

Dallas 104
Phoenix 99

Minnesota 100
Houston 86

AUDIO/VIDEO
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 Joe Smith makes the pass down court to Kevin Garnett for the layup.
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