MINNEAPOLIS, March 18 (Ticker) -- Once Kevin Garnett came back, the Memphis Grizzlies had no chance.

NBA TV highlights from Grizzlies-Wolves: 56k | 300k

Garnett had another huge game with 29 points and 19 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves posted a 96-80 victory over the Grizzlies, who had a franchise-record six-game winning streak stopped.

Making a push for NBA Most Valuable Player, Garnett recovered from a rough start and came up huge in the second half.

"Kevin took over the game," Grizzlies forward Shane Battier said. "He's an MVP if I've ever seen one. He came in and made big buckets. He delivered. He's definitely having a special year."

When Garnett was on the bench early in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies were able to close within 74-70 with 8:57 remaining. But Garnett re-entered 22 seconds later and scored eight points in a 12-2 run that helped Minnesota put away the game.

Garnett scored 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds after halftime. Prior to the break, the star forward was 5-of-15 from the field.

"Kevin was a monster tonight," Minnesota coach Flip Saunders said.

Garnett and Joe Smith led a huge effort on the boards for Minnesota, which held a lopsided 58-38 rebounding advantage. The duo combined for 10 of the Wolves' 16 offensive rebounds.

"KG and Smith got it going for them," Grizzlies coach Hubie Brown said. "Give them credit. They were hungry and executed well. They had 16 offensive rebounds, and KG and Smith had 10 of them. That's something we haven't given up. We were forcing them to miss shots, but they got far too many second-chance baskets."

Wally Szczerbiak added 16 points for the Timberwolves, who beat the Grizzlies for the eighth straight time and improved to 27-4 in the all-time series.

Battier netted 18 points and Stromile Swift 16 for Memphis, which shot 38 percent (32-of-85).

Facing a team that entered the contest 17 games under the .500 mark had to be a welcome sight for the Wolves, who were coming of a tough seven-game stretch against Western Conference heavyweights in which they went 3-4.

The Wolves fell behind by six points early but closed the opening quarter on a 15-5 run to take a 25-21 lead.

It was still a two-point game early in the second quarter, when Szczerbiak drilled a three-pointer and a jumper before Troy Hudson hit a running hook shot, giving the Wolves a 37-28 lead.

Hudson finished 12 points and Marc Jackson 10 and 12 rebounds as the Wolves pulled within one game of Portland for fourth place in the Western Conference.

Minnesota held a 43-39 lead at the half behind 11 points from Garnett. The lead grew to as much as 68-56 late in the third on a 21-footer by Kendall Gill. But the Grizzlies closed to 70-61 entering the final period.

Rather than talk about his own game, Garnett praised the Grizzlies.

"They're a very different team -- a very good team, a more improved team, a scary team," he said. "If I can use one word to describe those guys, it would be 'scary.' These guys play with a no-win, no-loss kind of attitude."

The Grizzlies took advantage of Garnett's absence to start the fourth, pulling within 74-70 with 8:57 left on consecutive baskets by backup point guard Earl Watson.

Following a timeout, Garnett came back and immediately went to work by hitting a turnaround and a running jumper to bring the Target Center crowd to its feet.

After Brevin Knight and Szczerbiak traded baskets, Garnett converted consecutive layups, making it 84-72 with 5:24 left. Minnesota led by at least 12 points the rest of the way.

"We started hitting our shots, and KG really carried us for a stretch in the fourth quarter," Szczerbiak said. "That's what we need. He got into a shooting rhythm, and the ball was moving all over the place."

Smith added 10 points for Minnesota, which shot 47 percent (42-of-89).