|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME FLOW
MIAMI (AP) – Wally Szczerbiak said the Miami Heat played like
piranhas, while they reminded Kevin Garnett of a certain insect.
|  | | Miami's Anthony Mason (14) scores against a trailing Kevin Garnett. |
The comparisons were meant as compliments after Miami held
Minnesota without a point for nearly 10 1/2 minutes in the second half
Friday for an 86-79 victory that ended the Timberwolves' four-game
winning streak.
"You put the ball on the floor, and five guys are on your
back," Garnett said. "They're really aggressive. They're like
roaches on bread -- you drop some on the floor, and boom, they're on
it."
Garnett was shut out over the final 18 1/2 minutes and finished
with 13 points, nearly 10 below his average. Minnesota scored just
30 points in the second half against the Heat, who rank second in
the NBA in scoring defense.
"They're like piranhas," Szczerbiak said. "When they smell
blood, they go after it."
With their top two scorers sidelined by injuries, the Heat
know they must rely on defense more than ever to win. They're 1-1
since guard Eddie Jones went on the injured list with a dislocated
shoulder. They already were without All-Star center Alonzo
Mourning, sidelined all season by a kidney ailment.
"It was the end of the third quarter when we started to
understand how we're going to have to play," coach Pat Riley said.
"That's relentless and a little frenetic ... exciting, running,
making plays, stripping guys and just pushing. It's not a
coincidence that at that time they began to miss."
Reggie Slater's basket with 5:27 left in the third period put
the Timberwolves ahead 61-54. Miami ran off a season-high 18
consecutive points for a 72-61 lead before Minnesota scored again,
on Szczerbiak's 3-pointer with 7:06 left in the game.
"Heat teams are capable of doing that," Miami point guard Tim
Hardaway said. "We had everybody scrambling to the ball and played
some great one-on-one defense."
Miami's streak included Bruce Bowen's 3-pointer for their first
lead, 63-61, in the final minute of the third period.
The Timberwolves committed eight turnovers during their
10-minute, 21-second scoreless stretch. They finished with 16
turnovers and shot 43 percent.
"That's the best defense anyone has played against us this
year," Minnesota coach Flip Saunders said. "That was a
playoff-type defense."
Anthony Carter, making just his second start of the season, and
rookie Eddie House sparked Miami.
"It was beautiful," Hardaway said. "They were scrambling, got
their hands on the ball and deflected passes. They gave us a great
lift."
Szczerbiak was the only Minnesota player to score during a span
of 16 minutes. He finished with 19 points. Anthony Mason led the
Heat with 22 points.
Miami trailed by 11 points in the first half, but a dazzling
sequence in the final 1:31 cut the margin to 49-45.
First, the smallest player on the court -- Carter -- outmaneuvered
the tallest -- Garnett -- for an acrobatic layup. Carter then missed
a breakaway layup, but Bowen tipped it in. On the next possession,
Carter took an inbound pass with six-tenths of a second left and
sank a buzzer-beating 20-footer.
"Instead of being up eight or 10, we're up four," Saunders
said. "We lost too much momentum."
Game notes
The two games this season between the teams come four days
apart. The second one is Monday. ... Minnesota, which was the final
team to visit Miami Arena, played at AmericanAirlines Arena for the
first time. ... Minnesota's Terrell Brandon had five assists,
increasing his career total to 4,001. ... With Mourning sidelined all
season, Miami is last in the NBA in rebounding and blocks. ...
Hardaway went 4-for-15 and is 5-for-24 in the past two games.
 Send this story to a friend
|
|
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Minnesota Clubhouse
Miami Clubhouse
Mourning on Heat playoff roster, still unlikely to play
Heat's Jones out until April after dislocating shoulder
RECAPS
Indiana 99
Cleveland 84
Philadelphia 108
Atlanta 103
Boston 104
Washington 72
Miami 86
Minnesota 79
New Jersey 96
New York 83
Detroit 108
Chicago 75
Dallas 102
Golden State 73
Utah 107
Phoenix 95
Toronto 110
Seattle 99
Vancouver 95
Portland 85
San Antonio 93
LA Lakers 89
Sacramento 110
Denver 104
|
