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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
DALLAS (AP) -- The losing continued for Dallas on Thursday night,
but this time they couldn't blame the controversial presence of
Dennis Rodman.
|  | | Joe Smith pulls down one of his five rebounds. The T-Wolves outrebounded Dallas 43-34. |
Kevin Garnett had 22 points and 13 rebounds as the Minnesota
Timberwolves routed Dallas 100-79 Thursday night in the Mavericks'
first game since releasing Rodman.
Rodman was waived on Wednesday by coach-GM Don Nelson after a
12-game experiment. Dallas won only three times during Rodman's
stay with his hometown team to all but end the Mavericks' long-shot
hopes to challenge for a playoff berth.
"It was a matter of getting adjusted to him," said Mavericks
swingman Michael Finley, who had 14 points, 8.2 under his season
average. "Whenever you bring in a player, be it Dennis Rodman or
whoever, he has to learn the system on the go, and that was tough.
You need a training camp to get adjusted to a player."
Terrell Brandon had 17 points, Wally Szczerbiak scored 16 and Joe Smith added 14 as the Timberwolves won for the eighth time in
their last 10 games.
The Timberwolves were wary of playing the post-Rodman Mavericks.
What's more, Minnesota had blown a second-half lead and lost to the
Washington Wizards 90-86 Tuesday night, forcing the Timberwolves to
focus on putting the game away.
"We knew they'd be emotional after all that happened to them in
the last few days," said Brandon. "So we wanted to make a
concerted effort on finishing the game off and getting the win."
Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders credited the win to his team
defense, which held the Mavericks 22 points under their season
average.
Shawn Bradley scored a season-high 26 points and pulled down
nine rebounds for the Mavericks, whose losing streak has reached a
season-high six. Saunders decided to let Bradley have his shots
inside, preferring to extend the defense to the perimeter where
Finley and Dirk Nowitzki are dangerous.
Dallas got 15 points from Nowitzki before an announced crowd of
13,435. Minus the Rodman sideshow as a draw, however, there were
only an estimated 10,000 at Reunion Arena for Thursday night's
game.
Saunders was also pleased that his team maintained its focus in the fourth quarter.
"When you lose a fourth-quarter lead, you've relaxed," Saunders said. "Tonight we didn't relax. We stayed aggressive."
The Mavericks had three of their four home sellouts this season with Rodman in the lineup. Rodman was averaging 14.3 rebounds for Dallas. The Mavericks were outrebounded by the Timberwolves 43-34.
Minnesota went on a 10-2 run early in the third quarter to build
a 65-48 lead and took a 69-58 advantage into the final quarter.
The Mavericks got as close as 75-66 early in the fourth quarter
on Robert Pack's basket. But the Timberwolves countered with a 9-2 run, capped by Anthony Peeler's 3-pointer, to build an 84-68 lead.
Game notes
The Mavericks were without forward Cedric Ceballos,
day-to-day with a sprained pinkie on his left hand. ... Minnesota
held a 46-37 halftime lead. ... Mavericks coach Don Nelson returned
to the bench after missing four games with the flu. ... The
Timberwolves are 30-2 when they lead at the start of the fourth
quarter. ... Dallas has scored a total of 165 points over the past
two games, its lowest two-game total of the season. ... Garnett
recorded his 45th double-double of the season.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Minnesota Clubhouse
Dallas Clubhouse
Rodman says Mavs, NBA make him feel like a scapegoat
RECAPS
Indiana 127
Portland 119
San Antonio 105
Atlanta 79
Minnesota 100
Dallas 79
Utah 101
Houston 82
LA Lakers 109
Golden State 92
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