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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Terrell Brandon got the best of Gary Payton.
Brandon had 30 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as the
Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Seattle SuperSonics 109-102 on
Thursday night to extend their winning streak to four games.
"Terrell was huge tonight. Two weeks ago, he took a lot of
punishment from (the media)," Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders.
"He's done a lot of things from that time as far as being more
creative and going to the basket and taking big shots down the
stretch and even carrying the team at times."
Payton had 33 points on a sub-par shooting night. He was
11-for-27 from the floor, including 7-for-17 from 3-point range.
The two point guards each played the entire 48 minutes.
Brandon, who had 13 points in both the first and third quarters,
was held to just one point in the fourth quarter by Sonics' traps
and aggressive defense by Vernon Maxwell.
Saunders said he would have given Brandon a rest had the point
guard asked for one, but the request never came.
"How he was playing, it was tough to take him out as long as he
was OK," Saunders said. "Late in the game, they kind of tried to
go at him a little bit and Terrell just kind of stood there and
came back at them and showed his competitiveness."
Payton wouldn't discuss the matchup with Brandon after the game,
but Seattle's Vin Baker said Brandon's accurate shooting took the
luster out of the Sonics.
"The big difference tonight was the much better play of Terrell
Brandon. He really helped them," Baker said.
Brandon's outside shooting freed up Kevin Garnett, Wally
Szczerbiak, Joe Smith and Radoslav Nesterovic to take over the
boards, and Minnesota outrebounded Seattle 54-40.
When the teams last met, the Sonics had a 50-36 edge in
rebounding in a 110-94 Seattle victory Dec. 8.
"It's always tough playing Minnesota because of their length.
They're a tough team because they're so long," Seattle's Brent
Barry said. "They're scrappy and they're fighters."
Garnett scored 11 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and had
14 rebounds for Minnesota, which snapped an eight-game losing skid
Saturday.
Smith added 18 points for Minnesota, and Malik Sealy had 17 -- including 10 in the third quarter. He also missed two easy dunks,
drawing groans from the crowd.
The Timberwolves used a 10-0 run, capped by Smith's jumper, to
take a 95-86 lead with 5:10 left.
Seattle pulled within three at 101-98, but Anthony Peeler made
two layups to seal the victory.
Barry was ejected with 3:06 left and the Wolves leading 99-93
after he received a pair of technicals. Barry and Sam Mitchell got
into a shoving-shouting match, then Barry was thrown out as Seattle
went to its bench for a timeout.
Game notes
Timberwolves backup point guard Bobby Jackson, who severely
bruised his knee Monday against Cleveland, could return Monday when
the Wolves go to Orlando. "It's a good situation considering what
they thought," Saunders said. ... Saunders coached his 300th game
for the Timberwolves. ... Seattle's Horace Grant played in his 900th career game. ... Seattle activated forward Lazaro Borrell and
placed center Jelani McCoy on the injured list because of a sprained right ankle.
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NBA Scoreboard
Seattle Clubhouse
Minnesota Clubhouse
RECAPS
Atlanta 108
Cleveland 90
Orlando 110
Charlotte 106
New Jersey 99
Philadelphia 94
Minnesota 109
Seattle 102
Houston 105
Washington 89
Milwaukee 94
San Antonio 91
Dallas 111
Phoenix 110
Portland 111
Golden State 91
Vancouver 93
Denver 91
LA Clippers 97
Sacramento 91
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