Garnett, Timberwolves knock down Nets

Rashad McCants had a career-high 21 points and Ricky Davis contributed 20 points and nine boards for the Timberwolves, who have won two of their last three contests.

"Tonight’s win was great. It was a win we definitely needed," said Garnett. "For the most part we all played together. We played aggressively. The defense was probably what won the game for us."

Vince Carter had a game-high 29 points and Richard Jefferson netted 25 and also pulled down 11 rebounds for the Nets, who have lost two in a row and are 3-9 in their last 12 road games. Jason Kidd added 20 points and nine assists in the loss, New Jersey’s fourth consecutive against Minnesota.

The Nets led 23-22 after 12 minutes of play, but the T’Wolves opened the second quarter with a 21-7 run, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers from McCants, to go ahead 43-30.

With the score 47-33, New Jersey reeled off a 10-2 spurt, capped by Carter’s three-point play, to narrow the gap to 49-43.

Minnesota outscored the Nets in the second quarter, 32-22, and led 54-45 at the break.

The Timberwolves led 60-49 on Marcus Banks’ jumper but New Jersey countered with a 10-1 run, including treys from Carter and Kidd, to pull within 61-59. However, Minnesota held a 72-67 lead heading into the final frame.

Kidd’s layup cut the lead to 82-77 with 3:58 to play, but the Timberwolves took a 92-79 lead, courtesy of a 10-2 streak, capped by Garnett’s three-point play with 1:36 remaining.

The T’Wolves drained 6-of-8 in the final 1 1/2 minutes to seal the victory.

Game Notes

Minnesota connected on 55.9 percent of its shots, while New Jersey shot 41.8 percent from the field...The Timberwolves outrebounded the Nets 44-36...Minnesota’s Justin Reed scored 14 points...The T’Wolves scored 40 points in the paint...In the last three games the Nets have been outscored 92-57 in the second quarter.