Wolves Freeze Suns’ Streak

The Timberwolves snapped the Suns streak.

Repeat: The Timberwolves snapped the Suns streak.

Steve Nash's well-oiled basketball machine had reeled off 17 straight wins heading into Monday night's contest at the Target Center. They had been firing on all cylinders, but on this freezing night in Minnesota, the Wolves were even better in a 121-112 win.

"It’s tough to lose, but you know we didn’t play that bad today," said two-time defending NBA MVP Nash. "Kevin (Garnett) was amazing. They basically played a great game. I would much rather congratulate them and move on."

Randy Wittman won his first home game as the Wolves head coach, and Mark Madsen provided a great lift off the bench with eight boards, six points and some textbook defense. But as Nash said, it was truly a virtuoso performance from Kevin Garnett, who scored a season-high 44 points on 18-of-29 shooting to go with a game-high 11 rebounds.

"We played a team with a guy who can do it, and he got hot tonight and beat us," added Nash, who scored 20 points to complement his 18 assists. "In some ways it’s better to lose that way than to beat ourselves and not come to play."

"People can see that (Garnett) had 44 points and that he dominated the glass, but defensively he changed so many plays and disrupted a lot of Phoenix's sets," said Madsen.

The Wolves held Phoenix to only six points in the paint in the second half after the Suns scored 24 in the first. The Wolves also limited their opponent to three fast-break points in the second half, and turned the ball over just twice in the second half. In the fourth quarter, a combination of clutch jumpers from KG (15 points) and excellent defensive rotation won the game. Minnesota also surpassed its season-high in scoring by five points.

"That was as excited as our guys have been for each other all year," said Wittman. "All four games that we've played since (the coaching change) happened...we just kept fighting, scratching and clawing. If we can do that every night, wins will take care of themselves."

In fact, Wittman told his players before the game that he expected them to beat Phoenix regardless of their imposing record. The coach was confident in his group when addressing the media, saying that if his players limited the Suns' easy baskets and controlled the paint, Minnesota should win the game.

Well, they did. Perhaps the odds in Vegas were on the Suns to grab their 18th straight, but the Wolves mix of full-court pressure, different defenses and hot shooting said otherwise.

"Effort and ball movement have been my two things that I've been on (the players) from the start," said Wittman. "That's all we really did. That's playing team basketball."

In addition, we can't neglect the effort of the 16,221 fans in the stands.

"These are our fans, this is our community," Wittman continued. "They're not here to watch Phoenix, they're here to watch us, and they were great tonight. They helped us as much as anybody down the stretch. I could feel it."

Minnesota hit an impressive 59.0% of its shots and grabbed eight more boards than the Suns. Also crucial to the outcome was an excellent defensive effort from Ricky Davis on Mr. MVP.

"I felt like we did a really good job of controlling (Nash) in the fourth quarter," said Garnett. "Ricky is probably our MVP right now because of the energy he's bringing on the defensive end, on the opposing point guard."

Davis was great, adding 17 points and eight assists to his outstanding D, but surely it was KG who was the MVP.

"It’s great when you get to play someone as talented as Garnett it’s a great challenge for our team," he said. "I thought everyone played well for them. They all deserve a pat on the back."

Game Breakdown
First Half: A hustling Wolves defense and six points from Trenton Hassell helped Minnesota keep things close early, trailing Phoenix 18-16 halfway through the quarter. After Steve Nash led the Suns on a patented quick scoring spree, the Wolves went on a 7-0 run to close the quarter trailing by just two at 31-29.

Minnesota went on its second seven-point run of the half to take a 45-37 lead behind a superb effort from its bench. Phoenix quickly tied the contest at 49, setting up an exciting finish to the half.

First, Nash pulled up for two silky jumpers before feeding Shawn Marion for an alley-oop. The Wolves answered with a KG lay-up and a Ricky Davis three to take the lead, only to cede a Marion three and an and-1 from the "Brazilian Blur" Leandro Barbosa. The Suns went on a 10-0 run to close the half, thanks in part to Barbosa's 12 second-quarter points off the bench. 68-60, Phoenix.

Second Half: Minnesota looked to slow the pace of the game in the second half, as some solid defense resulted in two straight - and rare - Nash turnovers. A Ricky Davis three brought the Wolves within three at 79-76 halfway through the third.

A KG jumper and a Marko Jaric three brought the Wolves within one with one minute to play in the third, before a driving hoop from Randy Foye made the score 95-94 Suns as the buzzer sounded. Nash had already notched 17 assists to that point.

The Wolves reclaimed the lead for the first time in the second half on a Ricky Davis breakaway hammer dunk with 8:18 to play, before a Foye bomb from three made it 104-101 Minnesota. The Target Center crowd then rose to a crescendo as Mark Madsen hit a fade-away jumper to put his team up five.

The Suns answer came from Nash and Marion, who hit back-to-back threes to pull within a point with 5:39 remaining. Garnett then dropped yet another jumper, and Minnesota forced a rare 24-second violation that preceded a Madsen put-back. Trenton Hassell then stripped Amare Stoudemire, and the Big Ticket dropped his 37th point to make it 114-107 with 3:04 remaining, forcing Suns coach Mike D'Antoni to take a timeout.

Suns center Amare Stoudemire hit two free throws to bring the Suns within seven, but Garnett hit yet again to make it 118-109 Wolves. A Boris Diaw three cut it to 118-112 Minnesota, but the Wolves got a big stop on the next possession, forcing Phoenix to foul Garnett. KG hit one-of-two with 33.2 remaining before sealing the game with a tip for a Davis steal of the inbounds pass, and converted two free throws to close out a fantastic victory to the crowd's glee.

News, Notes and Numbers
- Second-year guard was active Rashad McCants Monday night for the second straight game.
- Kevin Garnett's previous season high was 32, a mark he hit four times.
Nash had 12 assists in the first half one more than his season average.
- Former Wolves broadcaster Trent Tucker, sitting courtside, caught a loose ball for the second straight game.
- Both teams were over the 100-point mark with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.
- The Wolves highest point total this season had been 116 on 1/12//07 against Memphis before tonight’s game.
- Shawn Marion scored 24 points and grabbed 10 boards for the Suns, while Raja Bell scored a team high 26.