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Timberwolves burn Rockets 94-86
Kevin Garnett had 30 points, 17 rebounds and six assists to lead the Timberwolves to a 94-86 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
The Timberwolves started the day 2 1/2 games behind Denver for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference and now have just 14 games to make up the ground.
They played like a desperate team against the Rockets.
Garnett scored 13 of his points in the third quarter, when the Timberwolves took advantage of poor shooting by Tracy McGrady and the Rockets to pull away.
The Rockets were just 3-of-14 from the field in the third and trailed by as many as 23 points to lose for the second time in a row following a six-game winning streak.
Yao Ming had 21 points and five rebounds for Houston, but did most of his damage in the first quarter and was quiet for the rest of the game.
McGrady's shooting slump continued on Sunday. He missed seven of his first eight shots and finished with 15 points on 4-of-22 shooting. In his last four games, McGrady is 27-for-88 from the field (31 percent).
Despite his monumental struggles, the Rockets used a 10-2 run at the start of the fourth quarter to cut into Minnesota's lead. Mike James' 3-pointer with 6:14 to go made the score 86-77, but the Rockets never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
Sam Cassell, who did not play in Friday's loss to Memphis because of a strained right hamstring, had his best game in recent memory for the Wolves with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
He sparked the team to a fast start with a nearly flawless first half, which set the tone for the rest of the game. Cassell was 5-for-6 for 14 points in the half, helping the Wolves to a 57-44 halftime lead.
The Timberwolves opened the third quarter with an 11-1 run to go up by 23 points. McGrady seemed disinterested for much of the rest of the game, settling for 3-pointers and often drifting away from the offensive sets.
In contrast, Cassell smiled often during the game and was his wily old self — drawing fouls, jawing with the opposition and even getting into a shoving match with McGrady.
Double technicals were issued with 9:30 to go in the second quarter after Cassell and McGrady got tussled after colliding on a pick and roll. After the collision, McGrady shoved Cassell, who retaliated, and several Wolves coaches had to step in to separate the two players.
That kind of fiery performance from Cassell has been conspicuously lacking in a disappointing season for Minnesota, which advanced to the Western Conference finals last season.
James finished with 13 points and six rebounds, but Houston shot just 35 percent for the game.
Wally Szczerbiak had 20 points and five assists for the Wolves.
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