RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
ATLANTA (AP) -- Kevin Garnett can feel the Minnesota Timberwolves
coming together as a team.
"We're in position to be on a nice little roll here, so we just got to take care of ourselves," he said. "Play together, stick together."
Garnett scored 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as
Minnesota beat the struggling Atlanta Hawks 94-84 Saturday night.
Coming off a season-high 32-point performance in an overtime win
over San Antonio on Friday night, Garnett picked up his eighth
double-double in Minnesota's 10 games.
The Timberwolves have won four straight.
"Just coming out hooping, man," Garnett said. "Nothing to
really pinpoint. We're just coming out hooping, man, for 48
minutes."
He hit his first six shots, the final basket coming on a reverse
dunk that put the Timberwolves up 40-28 and matched their biggest
lead.
Garnett, who matched Chauncey Billups with a game-high five
assists, added nine points in the fourth quarter, his final basket
coming on a 20-foot jumper that made it 90-84.
"We've been on a roll and playing quite well," said former
Hawk LaPhonso Ellis, who came off the bench to score 14 points.
"Tonight was a back-to-back game, so it was a little bit tougher
for us. I thought we were going to run away with it when we got up
10. But, hats off to Atlanta. They're a scrappy team."
The Hawks extended their franchise-worse start by dropping to
1-10. Jim Jackson led Atlanta with 21 points. Alan Henderson added
19.
"I hate losing," Henderson said. "I didn't come from any type
of losing program ever in my life. High school, college, even here
in a bad year we used to win 50 games. This losing thing started
last year, and it's got to stop."
The Timberwolves hit their first nine shots and led 32-22 after
going 14-for-17 from the field in the first quarter.
After Garnett's second-quarter reverse dunk, Minnesota missed 10
of its next 11 shots as the Hawks took a 45-44 lead into halftime.
Minnesota retook control as Wally Szczerbiak scored 13 of his 17
points in the third quarter, seven coming on free throws.
"We started losing them in the third," Hawks coach Lon Kruger
said. "They made some big buckets. They were at the free throw
line, and we weren't able to convert."
The Timberwolves scored nine unanswered points to end third
quarter leading 74-65 on Szczerbiak's 18-footer.
"My hard work is really starting to pay off," Szczerbiak said.
"My knee is just about 100 percent. It took a while. It took
longer than I expected. I'll probably be able to get out of the
brace Wednesday. It hasn't been swelling."
Game notes
Dikembe Mutombo ended a three-game drought when he blocked
Anthony Peeler's layup in the third quarter. In his first four years with the Hawks, Mutombo never went longer than one game without a block. He entered the season No. 7 on the NBA's all-time
shot blocking list. ... Garnett had nine rebounds in the two games
he failed to register a double-double.
|
|
NBA Scoreboard
Minnesota Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 111
Milwaukee 102
Washington 109
Boston 89
Minnesota 94
Atlanta 84
Miami 86
Portland 80
New Jersey 97
Indiana 92
Houston 94
Phoenix 89
Denver 87
LA Lakers 86
Utah 109
Chicago 64
Dallas 91
Vancouver 88
Seattle 86
LA Clippers 83
|
