NBA Game Summary - Minnesota at Dallas

Dallas, TX (Basketball News) - Kevin Garnett had 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Dallas Mavericks, 100-91, at the AmericanAirlines Center. Sam Cassell added 15 points for the Timberwolves, who won for the second time in their last three games and for the fifth time in their last seven tries.

Cassell, forward Eddie Griffin (3 points, 8 rebounds) and center Michael Olowokandi (8 points) both returned to the lineup after missing significant time for the Wolves. Cassell had missed the last seven games with a hamstring injury, while Olowokandi (hyperextended right knee) and Griffin (hand) both sat out the last nine.

"We got off to a good start and hit some shots," said Wolves’ coach Kevin McHale. "Our big guys played big in there. Eddie and Mike challenged shots and did a nice job. I probably played Sam too many minutes, but he said he felt fine. It was a good overall game.

Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points and 15 boards for Dallas, which had a two-game winning streak stopped and lost for just the second time in its last five games.

"Tonight wasn’t a very good performance by us," said Dallas head coach Don Nelson. "We needed to play better. I thought the biggest factor was their three guys that came back from injury made good contributions and were fresh and lively bodies. It was a tough night and we got a well deserved loss out of it."

Trailing the entire contest, the Mavs tried to make things interesting in the fourth, as they narrowed the deficit to one, 65-64, on a pair of Keith Van Horn free throws early in the stanza.

Dallas managed to stay close for most of the fourth, but Minnesota started to pull away late and cruised to the nine-point win.

The Timberwolves controlled the action from the outset and scored the first seven points of the game. Minnesota eventually went up 11-2 on a Troy Hudson basket, but Dallas closed the gap to three with six consecutive points.

The T-Wolves, though, reeled off another 7-0 run and held the lead the rest of the first quarter, as they took a 27-18 advantage into the second.

Minnesota started the second stanza similar to the way it started the game and scored 11 of the first 12 points of the quarter. The Wolves held a double- digit advantage the rest of the half and went into the locker room with a 48-35 lead.

Hudson’s 12 points paced Minnesota through the first 24 minutes, while Dallas was led by Nowitzki and Jason Terry, who each had seven.

Dallas cut into the deficit in the third, as it outscored Minnesota 25-17 in the period and trailed by five heading into the final 12 minutes.