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Thursday, Apr. 6 10:30pm ET
T-Wolves win franchise-best 46th game | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Minnesota Timberwolves are making a habit of picking up significant victories against the Clippers in Los Angeles. Kevin Garnett scored 28 points as Minnesota set a club record with its 46th win by rolling past the Clippers 112-90 Thursday night at Staples Arena. In 1997 and 1998, the Timberwolves clinched the first two postseason berths in their brief history by beating the Clippers on the road. "It just shows that we're making strides and the goals just keep getting higher," Garnett said. "The team's goals should be high. You should have within yourself the desire to set standards for the future, and I think that's one of the things we've done. If you don't stress standards, you have a losing mentality." The Clippers know a thing or two about losing, having made the playoffs just three times since 1978, most recently in the 1996-97 season. Maurice Taylor scored 23 points for the Clippers, who have lost 11 straight and 39 of their last 43. At 14-61, they trail Chicago by two games in the race to avoid the NBA's worst record. "We were a little flat, but we played hard," Jeff McInnis said. "They came out, executed their game plan and beat us." The Timberwolves, second in the NBA in field-goal accuracy at 47 percent, made 50.5 percent of their shots after shooting less than 40 percent in each of their previous three games. Point guard Terrell Brandon, who sat out one game with the flu, finished with 11 points and 13 assists. Rookie Wally Szczerbiak added 23 points for the Timberwolves, who are 39-16 since a 7-13 start. "We've come a long way since then and have become a better team," Szczerbiak said. "We go into every game trying to learn something, and that's the sign of a good team. That's why we have a good record. Tonight was just an example of us really playing basketball the way it should be played." In the first half, Garnett scored 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting and Szczerbiak had 14 points, powering Minnesota to a 61-47 lead. Joe Smith's two free throws capped a 13-4 run that extended the Timberwolves' biggest lead of the half to 17 points with a minute left. "One of the most important things about this team is commitment," Garnett said. "Everybody's on the same page, not bickering about who's getting the ball, or whatever. We've very focused and very together as a team. That's the difference." Minnesota scored the first 13 points of the third quarter to open a 74-47 lead. Szczerbiak fueled the rally with a dunk, a 3-pointer and a basket with 8:11 left in the quarter. The Clippers got no closer than 16 points in the final 1½ minutes. Game notesMinnesota has won 10 games by 20 or more points. The Clippers have 21 20-point losses. ... Reserve forward Etdrick Bohannon, whose 10-day contract with the Clippers expired on Thursday, was signed through next season. McInnis recently got a one-year deal from the club after his second 10-day contract ran out. ... The Clippers, who overcame an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Timberwolves on Nov. 17, took their only lead of the night at 9-8 on Derek Anderson's 3-pointer. ... The Timberwolves play six of seven on the road before finishing the regular season at home against Dallas. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Minnesota Clubhouse LA Clippers Clubhouse RECAPS Miami 76 Charlotte 70
Minnesota 112
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