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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Minnesota's Terrell Brandon shared a
pregame embrace with the Trail Blazers' Damon Stoudamire, his
friend and fellow Portlander. Scottie Pippen joined in on the hug.
|  | | Minnesota's Kevin Garnett drives the baseline on Shawn Kemp. |
"There's a lot of love in here," referee Bob Delaney remarked.
Love can be fleeting, however, especially for the Blazers, who
lost Rasheed Wallace to another ejection and got outscored 12-3 in
the final 7 1/2 minutes to lose to the Timberwolves 99-95 Sunday.
Brandon had 30 points and 11 assists, and hit two free throws
with 5.9 seconds left to seal the victory. Kevin Garnett added 16
points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who had lost six
straight road games and nine of 11.
"Phenomenal," teammate Wally Szczerbiak said of Brandon.
"This is his hometown, and he always steps up and plays well."
The Blazers were fuming after losing for the eighth time in 13
games, and for the fifth time in eight games at the Rose Garden.
Bonzi Wells and Stoudamire walked out without speaking to
reporters. Wallace, who broke his own NBA record of 38 technical
fouls by picking up his 39th and 40th with 7:29 left in the third
quarter, also refused comment.
"Go back that way, man," he said to a reporter who approached
him.
Wallace has been ejected seven times this season, and both teams
said his absence had a huge impact.
"It hurt us, no question," Blazers coach Mike Dunleavy said.
"He's your leading scorer, so obviously, you need him in there.
You want him in there."
"He's an important part of their team," Brandon said, "so not
having him in there presents another good matchup for us."
Steve Smith scored 25 to lead the Blazers, and Wells added 18
points and 11 rebounds. Dale Davis had 16 points on 8-for-11
shooting.
With Sacramento and the Los Angeles Lakers both losing, Portland
remained 2½ games behind the Pacific Division-leading Kings and a
half-game behind the Lakers. But the Blazers are again tied with
Dallas for fifth in the Western Conference playoff race.
The Wolves, firmly in the eighth spot, stayed 2½ games behind
No. 7 Phoenix.
Minnesota led 94-93 when Felipe Lopez sank a 3-pointer with 1:13
to go. Garnett set up the play by outmuscling Davis for an
offensive rebound, and the Timberwolves moved the ball around the
key to find Lopez open in the corner.
Smith spun around Wally Szczerbiak for a dunk to cut the lead to
97-95 with 58.6 seconds left. The Blazers got the ball back with a
chance to tie or win, but with everyone in the crowd standing,
Scottie Pippen's 3-pointer was short off the iron, and Brandon came
away with the ball.
"This is a playoff-type atmosphere here in Portland," Garnett
said. "Just the energy in the building and the way the teams went
back and forth at each other. I thought it was a great opening act
for the playoffs upcoming."
Minnesota is 2-1 against the Blazers, with the final game coming
Wednesday in Minneapolis.
Wallace was ejected after arguing that no foul was called when
the Blazers botched a 4-on-1 fast break and lobbed a pass beyond
his reach.
After Lopez made a long jumper to put the Wolves ahead 73-66,
the Blazers rallied to take a four-point lead entering the fourth.
A steal by Shawn Kemp led to a dunk by Wells, giving the Blazers a
92-87 lead with 7:34 to go.
But the Blazers made just one field goal the rest of the way,
and finished 4-for-19 in the period.
"It's frustrating," Pippen said. "We're not growing as a
team. We're not starting to show that we're maturing and getting
better. We're not playing smart out on the court."
The teams played a sensational second quarter, with the Blazers
shooting 63 percent and outscoring the Timberwolves 34-26 to take a
three-point halftime lead.
Smith had 13 points and an assist in the first 5:23 of the
quarter. Davis took over from there, making five inside baskets --
including four dunks -- against Minnesota's weak inside defense.
Davis' layup on a pass from Strickland with two-tenths of a
second left in the half gave the Blazers a 62-59 lead.
Game notes
The Timberwolves improved to 4-20 in Portland. ... With
Smith and Davis leading the way, Portland's reserves outscored
Minnesota's 50-14. ... Strickland had eight assists, becoming the
eighth player in NBA history to reach 7,000. ... Pippen scored
seven points, moving past Kevin McHale for 56th place on the career
list. Pippen has 17,337 points.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Minnesota Clubhouse
Portland Clubhouse
Blazers' Wallace ejected, breaks season record for technicals
RECAPS
Philadelphia 104
Indiana 93
Charlotte 80
Boston 79
Minnesota 99
Portland 95
Utah 92
Vancouver 73
New York 79
LA Lakers 78
Orlando 104
Toronto 101
Detroit 104
Golden State 87
New Jersey 101
Houston 98
Phoenix 106
Milwaukee 99
Dallas 119
Sacramento 107
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Rod Strickland dishes to Bonzi Wells for an open jam.
avi: 459 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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