NBA Game Summary - Minnesota at Charlotte

Charlotte, NC (Basketball News) - Brevin Knight posted a team-high 24 points, leading four players in double figures, as the Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 97-92.

Knight added eight assists, matching teammate Raymond Felton in that department, as the Bobcats snapped a two-game slide. Felton hit for 17 points. Primoz Brezec and Matt Carroll each added 14 points for the Bobcats. Gerald Wallace collected a team-best nine rebounds to make up for 3-of-11 shooting from the floor.

The Timberwolves had their road losing streak extended to 12 in a row, tying a franchise-record. They were paced again by Kevin Garnett who recorded his third 20-20 game of the campaign with 24 points and a season-high 22 rebounds. Garnett, who scored just five points in the second half, converted 8-of-21 from the floor. Ricky Davis accounted for 20 points, Trenton Hassell 13, while Rashad McCants and Justin Reed chipped in with 10 points each in the setback.

"You have to have focus on the road and a mental toughness, that’s what we’re trying to find," Timberwolves head coach Dwane Casey noted about the Timberwolves’ longest road skid since 1994.

Trailing by just three points at 93-90 with 15.5 seconds to play, Hassell had a chance to draw Minnesota within a point, but he missed both of his opportunities at the free throw line.

Brezec rebounded the second miss by Hassell and was quickly fouled by Garnett with 13 seconds to play. Unlike Hassell, Brezec sank both of his foul shots to push Charlotte ahead by five, and Felton locked up the victory with a couple of free throws.

Although Garnett kept Minnesota competitive throughout the game, he failed to get into an offensive rhythm in the second half.

"He had to really work for it tonight. He didn’t get anything in bundles," Charlotte head coach Bernie Bickerstaff remarked.

Minnesota won the battle of the boards, 46-37, but the team shot just 1-of-6 beyond the arc on the night, compared to 7-of-14 for the Bobcats.

Knight was one of five players to record at least two steals in the contest for the Bobcats and was part of a defensive attack that forced 23 Minnesota turnovers altogether.

"It feels good," Knight noted, "We still need to grow and build on something. We want to finish the season on a good note."

Except for the hook shot that Garnett buried to close out the first quarter, the Timberwolves had just one basket over the final 6 1/2 minutes of the frame, leaving them with a 25-22 deficit heading into the second quarter.

Charlotte relinquished the lead quickly in the second, shooting just 1-of-12 to begin the period, but down the stretch the home team regained its composure and eased into the break with a 53-47 edge. Carroll did most of the damage for the Bobcats as he connected on four three-point attempts to come away with 14 points, all in the second quarter.

A late 10-4 burst by the Wolves in the third quarter put the visitors ahead by a count of 69-68 with just under two minutes to play, with a tip-in by Reed with six seconds to play pushed the unit up by a point at 71-70 entering the final period.

As Garnett scored just two points in the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves were outscored overall 20-9 down the stretch.