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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Terrell Brandon had one of the best games of
his nine-year career Friday night, but that didn't mean he enjoyed
talking about himself any more than he had to.
Brandon had 27 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 16 assists
as the Minnesota Timberwolves snapped a five-game skid with a
flawless 122-83 win over the Golden State Warriors. He had his
second career triple-double and shot 11-for-14 in 33 minutes.
Brandon also held the Warriors' Mookie Blaylock to four points.
That, to Minnesota coach Flip Saunders, was the most important
part.
"We wanted him to have that defensive mindset," Saunders said.
"Then he feels like he's got a little pop in his step."
Brandon's teammates agreed.
"When Terrell plays very aggressive on both ends, that's when
it starts for us," said Kevin Garnett.
"Terrell kind of broke the ice for us," said Wally Szczerbiak.
"We just followed his lead."
Brandon, whose placid demeanor rarely changes win or lose,
remained true to form after the game in the hallway outside the
Timberwolves' locker room. He nearly slipped out without talking to
reporters.
"It's a win," Brandon said. "Games like this come and go, you
forget about it."
Larry Hughes had 18 points for Golden State, which lost its
seventh straight.
"We started out pretty well," Golden State coach Dave Cowens
said. "Then Brandon got hot."
Brandon returned the Timberwolves to pre-All-Star break form
immediately with a 16-point, 6-for-6 first quarter. He scored more
points in the first 10 minutes than he did in the Wolves' three
previous matchups with the Warriors.
Brandon insisted he wasn't trying anything different to halt the
Wolves' losing skid.
"I never do," Brandon said. "Sometimes the shots are there."
A jovial Garnett made up for his teammate's lack of enthusiasm.
"When you break it, you want to shatter it," Garnett said of
the losing skid. "Tonight, it was ante up."
Garnett had 23 points, Szczerbiak added 14 and Chauncey Billups
12. Even Reggie Slater had a six-point, five-rebound first quarter
in his first start of the season.
Dean Garrett was the only player who didn't score for Minnesota,
which shot a season-best 58 percent and committed a season-low
seven turnovers.
Minnesota, which had won 11 straight before the break, made a
season-high nine 3-pointers against the league's worst defensive
team. The Warriors are allowing more than 100 points per game.
"They hit a lot of shots, but we've made a lot of teams look
good in that category," Cowens said. "We were really flat at the
beginning of the second half. That upset me. Our guys came out with
their strings in their pants."
The Wolves opened the third quarter with a 15-0 run and built a
99-52 lead after three quarters.
"Our defense was pretty poor," Bob Sura said. "We're the
worst defensive team to start with. And then we gave them open
looks.
Antawn Jamison scored 14 points and Adonal Foyle added 12 for
the Warriors.
Game notes
Golden State has lost 12 of its last 13 games and eight
straight on the road. ... Center Marc Jackson (groin strain), along
with forwards Chris Mullin (back strain) and Chris Porter (ankle
sprain), didn't dress. With center Erick Dampier and forwards Danny
Fortson and Chris Mills already on the injured list, the six
missing from the Warriors' frontcourt accounted for 63 points and
42 rebounds per game. Golden State's players have lost a collective
254 games to injuries. ... Brandon and Blaylock entered the game
tied for third in the league in steals.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Golden State Clubhouse
Minnesota Clubhouse
RECAPS
Sacramento 119
Toronto 118
Indiana 92
Cleveland 90
Phoenix 88
New York 84
Philadelphia 99
Detroit 78
Minnesota 122
Golden State 83
Houston 105
Orlando 95
Milwaukee 93
Vancouver 81
San Antonio 100
Boston 82
Utah 96
Seattle 84
LA Lakers 113
Atlanta 106
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