Garnett leads ’Wolves to comeback win

Sam Cassell chipped in 29 points and nine assists for Minnesota, which has won two in a row and 12 of its last 14 contests. Latrell Sprewell ended with 21 points for the Timberwolves, who have captured their last 12 games at home.

Allen Iverson paced Philadelphia with 28 points and nine assists. Glenn Robinson had 27 points and Kenny Thomas contributed 16 points and 15 boards for the 76ers, who have dropped eight of their last 10 games. Eric Snow scored 15 points in the loss.

Minnesota, which trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half, grabbed its first lead of the game at 81-80 on a layup by Oliver Miller with 10:34 left in the fourth quarter.

The contest then remained tight and Garnett’s layup with 1:28 left gave the Timberwolves a 98-97 advantage.

After Snow and Garnett exchanged missed shots, Iverson was fouled and hit both attempts from the stripe to put the 76ers in front by a point with 42.3 seconds remaining.

Garnett was then fouled on Minnesota’s next possession and sank both free throws to make it 100-99 in favor of the Timberwolves.

Snow then misfired on an open baseline jumper and Minnesota got the rebound. Cassell was fouled and hit both tries from the line to increase the margin to three with 15.6 seconds left.

After Iverson converted a layup, Cassell was again fouled and sank two free throws for a 104-101 edge with 10.8 seconds remaining.

Iverson then dribbled the ball down the court and launched a tough three-point shot that was way off the mark. Cassell was fouled with 2.2 seconds left and completed the Timberwolves’ perfect day from the stripe by hitting a pair of foul shots to seal it. Minnesota finished 22-of-22 from the free throw line.

The game was tied midway through the first quarter, before Robinson nailed a three-pointer to ignite a 13-4 spurt that gave Philadelphia a 28-19 lead. Iverson’s jumper in the closing seconds of the period staked the 76ers to a 36-23 advantage after 12 minutes.

Philadelphia then opened the second quarter with a 7-2 run, keyed by five points from Iverson, to increase its lead to 43-25.

The 76ers were still in front by 18 at 54-36, but the Timberwolves countered with a 10-2 run, capped by Cassell’s three-pointer, to pull within 56-46.

Philadelphia eventually carried a 63-52 advantage into the locker room. Iverson had 18 points in the first half, while Sprewell and Cassell led Minnesota in the opening 24 minutes with 15.

In the third quarter, the Timberwolves trailed by nine with 7:13 remaining in the period. However, Minnesota closed the stanza with a 15-7 run to pull within 80-79 after 36 minutes. Garnett netted eight points during the late surge.