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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SEATTLE (AP) – After 16 seasons, Patrick Ewing knows he's not
going to be quicker than a youngster like Kevin Garnett.
|  | | Ruben Patterson gets a hug from Patrick Ewing after a key play down the stretch. |
But experience counts, too.
"The experience I've accumulated and knowledge I've accumulated is helping me here," the 38-year-old Ewing said after he helped hold Garnett to four points in the final quarter as Seattle beat Minnesota 94-93 on Wednesday night.
"I know sometimes I'm not going to be as quick as the other
guy," he said. "If he goes around me, it's up to the other guys
to step up and help."
Ruben Patterson did just that against the Timberwolves, soaring
from the side to block a go-ahead shot by Garnett with fewer than
20 seconds left and the Sonics up by one.
Ewing missed two free throws with 15.7 seconds left, but Garnett missed his final shot and Patterson snared the rebound as the clock ran out.
Ewing scored a season-high 19 points and had 10 rebounds. He helped hold Garnett to just 2-for-10 from the field in the fourth quarter.
"Patrick just played an unbelievable game tonight," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "He defended Garnett about as well as you can."
"Just watching Pat play tonight juiced me up," Seattle's Desmond Mason said.
"Patrick got a lot more aggressive down at the end. That's what
makes him a great player. He's slowed down, but he still possesses
the knowledge and the skills," said the 24-year-old Garnett, who
finished with 21 points.
Gary Payton led Seattle with 23 points, in addition to 11 assists, and Patterson added 19. Wally Szczerbiak had 20 for Minnesota, and Terrell Brandon had 16 points and 12 assists.
The victory snapped the Timberwolves' four-game winning streak and kept Seattle's slim playoff hopes alive.
"We fought hard all night. It's really tough not to come away with a victory in games like this," Szczerbiak said.
The Sonics (40-34) have now won nine of their past 10 games. With eight games left to play, they are 3½ games behind the Timberwolves (42-29) for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.
The Timberwolves must run a gauntlet of playoff-bound Western Conference teams, as they move on to Sacramento and Portland on the
road, then host Portland, Phoenix and the Los Angeles Lakers. Seven
of their remaining 11 games are away.
"If we win some games against the teams we're going to be playing against, that means we'll be playing well. That means we'll be prepared for the playoffs, and that is the positive about the way the schedule is," Minnesota coach Flip Saunders said.
"We had some good shots," he added. "We just got totally
rattled and didn't make the plays. We didn't make the defensive
plays, more importantly."
Both teams shot better than 50 percent in an intensely
competitive first half where neither led by more than six points.
Szczerbiak led Minnesota with 12 points in the half, including
10 on 5-for-7 shooting in the first quarter.
Payton had 14 points for the Sonics, who were up 50-49 at the half.
Game notes
Minnesota was without Anthony Peeler, who was placed on the injured list Sunday with a sprained left ankle. ... The sale of the
Sonics from the Ackerley Group to a group of investors led by
Howard Schultz, head of Seattle-based Starbucks, is expected to be
approved at the NBA Board of Governors meeting on Friday. The sale
would be completed on Monday. Schultz is selling 1.7 million shares
of Starbucks stock to raise cash for the deal. ... The Sonics came
in just 8-15 against the Midwest Division, including 0-3 against
the Timberwolves. ... Sonics coach Nate McMillan said he considers
Garnett the best player in the NBA. "He plays every possession,
and he does dominate both ends of the floor." Garnett is averaging
22.7 points and 11.6 rebounds.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Minnesota Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
RECAPS
New Jersey 99
Denver 96
Orlando 96
Philadelphia 95
Phoenix 103
Cleveland 94
Dallas 94
Portland 84
Seattle 94
Minnesota 93
Sacramento 108
LA Lakers 84
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