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Monday, Dec. 27 7:30pm ET
T-Wolves end Magic's 5-game win streak | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Out of chaos under the basket emerged Malik Sealy holding the ball. As the buzzer sounded, it went through the hoop. Sealy's desperation putback gave the Minnesota Timberwolves a 107-105 victory over Orlando on Monday night, ending the Magic's five-game winning streak.
Following a miss by Kevin Garnett, Sealy emerged with the ball after a wild scramble and beat the buzzer to give his team its fifth consecutive victory. "I didn't know who was going to get it. I was just trying to get another attempt at the basket," said Sealy, who finished with 11 points. "Joe (Smith) and Sam (Mitchell) got some tips on it and I think the big thing was when (Orlando's Chris) Gatling saved it. "I put it up near the rim and tried to get fouled somehow," he said. The Timberwolves avenged a home loss to the Magic in early December. Garnett finished with a team-high 26 points and a career-high 23 rebounds, while Terrell Brandon added 18 points and a season-high 16 assists. Forward Joe Smith also added 18 off the bench. Garnett's rebounding total was a career-high and a franchise record for Minnesota, besting Garnett's 21 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 17. The majority of the rebounds came in the first half, when his total of 19 bettered Orlando's entire team by five. "I was kind of upset at halftime when a member of our staff told me, because I still had 24 minutes to play," Garnett said. "It was a great game. I would have paid to see it." Orlando trailed by as many 10 points in the fourth quarter, but was fueled by the bench play of Chucky Atkins, who scored four straight points to pull Orlando to 95-94 with six minutes remaining. The undrafted rookie then scored six straight to give the Magic its first lead since the game's opening minute, hitting a driving layup with 2:22 remaining for a 101-99 lead. "Chucky was great. He picked it up in the second half and basically brought us back," Orlando Coach Doc Rivers said. "He is one of those guys that is a streak shooter and the thing I like about him is that he's not afraid to shoot it when he's hot. He played great." After a free throw by Garnett closed the Magic lead to 101-100, Gatling tipped in Atkins' miss to put Orlando up three, its biggest advantage of the game, before Sam Mitchell hit a critical 3-pointer to tie the game at 103. "I thought that one of the biggest plays of the game was that tying 3-pointer," Rivers said. "I remember thinking when it went up that it would be good for us, because he's not a 3-point shooter, but Mitchell is one of those players who may miss 100 in a row but steps up and makes the big shot." Mitchell's 3-pointer was his first of the season. The teams traded baskets in the final minute, setting up Sealy's heroics. Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Darrell Armstrong each scored 16 to lead the Magic, while rookie Corey Maggette added 13. Atkins finished with 12, all in the fourth quarter. "It hurts but we had a chance to win. We haven't been in a situation where it's been tight and we didn't have the ball," Atkins said. "This time the game was even, and we even had a foul to give. You learn something new every game."
Game notes | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Minnesota Clubhouse Orlando Clubhouse RECAPS Charlotte 108 Atlanta 104
Minnesota 107
San Antonio 105
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