Kevin Garnett played his usual unselfish basketball last night. Only this time, his teammates followed the lead.
Garnett had 17 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Minnesota Timberwolves ended a four-game losing streak by dishing out a season-high 38 assists to beat the Golden State Warriors 121-93.
“I understand basketball and was just finding guys when they were open,” Garnett said. “I was forcing the ball to move, and it got contagious after that.”
It led to Minnesota's largest margin of victory this season, following a 28-point loss at Houston that prompted coach Randy Wittman to sit Ricky Davis and Mike James in the second half.
“You don't see that (38 assists) every day,” Wittman said. “You go through tough situations and you learn from them.”
Both Davis and James started and responded well. Davis scored 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting and James finished with eight points and nine assists.
CAVALIERS 94, CLIPPERS 77: Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16 points with a season-high 16 rebounds, Larry Hughes scored 15 points and the Cavaliers hardly needed LeBron James in an easy victory. James scored 11 points – three above his season low and 15 below his average – and spent the first half of the fourth quarter watching as the scuffling Cavaliers won their fifth straight at home against the Clippers.
HEAT 91, CELTICS 79: Dwyane Wade had 30 points and nine assists to lead Miami to its fifth consecutive victory, sending Boston to a franchise-record 16th loss in a row. Boston led by as many as 12 in the first quarter before the Heat went on a 19-2 run to take the lead for good.
NETS 87, HAWKS 85: Vince Carter made the go-ahead layup with 7.6 seconds remaining, grabbed a critical rebound on Atlanta's final possession, and New Jersey stopped a four-game losing streak.
RAPTORS 113, MAGIC 103: Chris Bosh scored a career-high 41 points and outplayed Dwight Howard in a matchup of All-Star big men as the Raptors won their season-high fourth straight.
SUPERSONICS 103, PACERS 102: Ray Allen scored 33 points and rookie Andre Brown made the go-ahead basket with 23 seconds remaining as Seattle snapped a 15-game road losing streak.
SPURS 110, WIZARDS 83: Tony Parker and Tim Duncan scored 20 points apiece, and San Antonio pulled even at 2-2 on its eight-game road trip.
76ERS 92, BOBCATS 83: Andre Iguodala scored 27 points and Andre Miller had 13 to lead suddenly surging Philadelphia.
MAVERICKS 113, GRIZZLIES 97: Dirk Nowitzki scored 18 of his 38 points in a flawless first quarter, and Dallas beat Memphis to match a franchise record with its 16th consecutive home victory.
HORNETS 114, NUGGETS 112 (OT): Desmond Mason scored 23 points, including a putback at the overtime buzzer to give New Orleans a wild victory at Denver. The Hornets ruined Allen Iverson's return from a four-game absence and won for the 13th time in their last 15 road games.
Pacers involved in bar fight
Indiana Pacers guard Jamaal Tinsley and teammates Marquis Daniels and Keith McLeod were involved in a fight with a bar manager after a home loss to Golden State, police said.
No one was immediately arrested or charged after the Tuesday fight. The police report yesterday said the bar manager of the 8 Seconds Saloon might have a fractured jaw and severed earlobe. He told officers that Tinsley had threatened to kill him, the report said.
