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Saturday, Mar. 4 9:00pm ET
Minnesota 91, Milwaukee 84 | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
MILWAUKEE (AP) _ Terrell Brandon scored 22 points in his return to Milwaukee and Kevin Garnett had 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves won for the sixth time in seven games, beating the Bucks 91-84 on Saturday night. Minnesota, which went 20-of-20 from the free-throw line, survived 27 percent shooting in the fourth quarter thanks to the cool heads of Brandon and Garnett. They scored on four straight possessions in the final minutes as the Timberwolves hung on. Garnett briefly left the game after landing awkwardly on his left foot in the opening seconds of the third quarter. A team spokesman said he had a mild foot sprain, but Garnett took a pain-killing shot and didn't look limited as he scored 15 points in the second half. Milwaukee fell behind by 13 points in the third quarter but opened the fourth with a 10-2 run before Brandon, who was traded by the Bucks last season, and Garnett led the Wolves to their fourth straight win at the Bradley Center. The loss was the reeling Bucks' 10th in 12 games and eighth in nine home games. Ray Allen had 28 points for the Bucks, and Glenn Robinson added 21. Milwaukee returned to its slow-starting, weak-finishing ways at the Bradley Center, where the Bucks snapped a seven-game losing streak last Sunday against Orlando. The Bucks also blew a chance to move past Detroit into the Eastern Conference's eighth playoff spot. Minneapolis and Milwaukee are just 300 miles apart, but because the teams play in different conferences, the geographical rivals meet just twice a season. A large number of Timberwolves fans were in attendance Saturday night, and Garnett's pregame cheer was as loud as those for the Bucks. But the crowd's goodwill didn't extend to Brandon, traded last season after refusing to negotiate a contract extension with the Bucks. The trade also brought Sam Cassell, who had 14 points and nine assists, to Milwaukee and sent Stephon Marbury to New Jersey. Milwaukee fans booed Brandon loudly in introductions and every time he scored. His former Bucks teammates laughed and joked with him all night. Sam Mitchell's sprained left ankle kept him out of his eighth straight game for Minnesota. Wally Szczerbiak started in his place and scored 19 points, including 13 in the first half. Most of the game was officiated by two referees after Blane Reichelt tripped and fell hard just three minutes into the first quarter. Reichelt spent three minutes writhing in pain on the court before being helped to the locker room by the Bucks medical staff. Milwaukee's Tim Thomas also jammed his left ankle late in the second half and was helped to the locker room. Thomas returned and finished with 13 points. Notes: Darvin Ham started his third game for the Bucks, getting three points and five rebounds. ... Danny Manning, who has had three knee reconstruction operations, missed his second straight game with a knee strain. Coach George Karl expects him to be out 3-4 more days. ... The teams meet again on Mar. 19 at the Target Center. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Minnesota Clubhouse Milwaukee Clubhouse RECAPS Houston 99 New Jersey 92
Minnesota 91 AUDIO/VIDEO   Terrell Brandon runs the floor for the dunk.avi: 454 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1   | |||||