Wolves Scorch Suns

The Wolves came into Wednesday evening's matchup with the Phoenix Suns having played eight consecutive solid quarters, including a win at Golden State and what should have been a win at Denver.

Make that 12 solid quarters.

In what was another terrific all-around performance from a team that seems at least close to turning the proverbial corner, Minnesota defeated the Western Conference leading Phoenix Suns 117-107 at Target Center.

"I really believe our team is beginning to grow a little bit," said head coach Randy Wittman after the team's seventh victory, and first back-to-back wins. "This is three-straight games we've put together against good teams."

Behind another monster game against Phoenix from Al Jeffereson, who scored a career-high 39 points along with 15 rebounds, Minnesota not only scored a season-high 65 first-half points, but sustained a lead in the fourth quarter for the second-straight game, no small feat for a team that has lost nine games when leading or tied heading into the final quarter.

"Coming into the fourth quarter, for us to score (29) points in a tight game (means) we've taken steps in the right direction," Wittman explained. "We got big contributions from everybody."

Consider this: Minnesota was averaging just 93.7 points a game for the season (27th in the NBA), but had averaged 102.5 in its last four, thanks in part to a smaller, more explosive lineup featuring Ryan Gomes at the four and Jefferson at the five. That story sure continued against Phoenix.

Minnesota scored in every which way, but was particularly impressive in the paint, carving up the NBA's worst D in terms of points in the paint for 56 of its own, 10 more than Phoenix's league-low average.

The key (of course) to Minnesota's success inside was Jefferson, whose monstrous first half (24 points, eight boards) was nearly as impressive as his consecutive answers to Suns' comeback attempts in the final period.

"That's Big Al. No one in the league can do anything with him when he plays like that," said Sebastian Telfair, who scored 13 points along with eight assists and no turnovers. "If we do our part, we have an opportunity to compete. Our key focus against a team like Phoenix is to take care of the basketball, and we did that."

As a team, the Wolves turned it over just 11 times. Complimenting Telfair in the backcourt was Marko Jaric, who added 10 dimes with only two turnovers. With his 15 points and eight boards, Jaric nearly reached a triple-double for the second-straight game. Still, the bigger stat on the evening was Minnesota's massive edge on the glass, 48-26, including 22 offensive rebounds.

"Against Phoenix, Denver and Golden State, it's easy to get offensive rebounds, because they want to run out and score," said Jefferson, who had eight offensive boards, with Gomes adding five. "It worked for us."

The only period of the game not controlled by Minnesota was the beginning. The Suns came out unconscious, building a 16-6 lead by making their first eight shots, including 6-of-6 from Amare Stoudemire, who finished with 33 points in 32 minutes. But to its credit, Minnesota didn't balk, instead firing right back with a 26-11 run to close out the quarter up 32-27.

Then in the second quarter, Minnesota continued pushing behind Antoine Walker, who came off the bench to score the quarter's first seven points, extending Minnesota's lead to 39-27. Minutes later, four-consecutive points from Jaric and Gomes's fastbreak dunk put the Wolves up 15 and forced a timeout from Suns coach Mike D'Antoni. With 7:25 remaining in the half, Minnesota had already scored 47 points, drawing a standing ovation from the Target Center faithful.

"My role is to give us a spark off the bench, to make my minutes quality and boost the team," said Walker. "I felt like we've deserved to have more wins this year, and I'm proud of the guys for continuing to give effort. I've tried to keep the guys motivated, and it's really good to see."

It didn't stop there. The Wolves kept running, opening a 60-39 lead - their biggest of the night - with 3:19 remaining on Corey Brewer's fastbreak dunk. The No. 7 overall pick's struggles offensively have been well documented, making his 5-of-7, 10-point first-half performance yet another big positive for Minny. Brewer showed no hesitation in taking his shots, which included four perimeter Js when the Suns left him all alone.

"It's about confidence, and also taking the right shots," said Telfair, who's also been shooting much better in his last five (over 50 percent).

The Suns were able to shave just two points off Minnesota's lead in the third quarter, thanks in part to Telfair's ability to control the tempo. He set up three easy buckets and contributed four points and two steals, while active team defense forced the Suns to settle for perimeter jumpers.

Heading into the fourth up 88-75, Minnesota knew it had already lost nine times when tied or leading before the final stanza, including Saturday's heartbreaker at Denver. Not happening on this night. Early on, Brewer drew a charge from Shawn Marion (who inexplicably had just three points and two boards to that point), and then pulled up for a 17-footer at the top of the key to keep Minnesota's lead in double digits.

Later, when Phoenix ramped it up in a last-ditch effort everyone in the building was expecting, Jefferson answered consecutive Suns hoops with two beautiful post moves, the second forcing yet another D'Antoni timeout with 4:19 left and Minnesota up 102-89.

Out of the timeout, Phoenix ran a nice play to get an open look from three from Leandro Barbosa - who nailed it - but it was Jefferson yet again with an answer, this time in and-1 fashion. Next came the biggest shot of the night, an end-of-the-shotclock 3-pointer from Telfair that effectively buried the Suns.

"That felt real good," concluded Telfair. "I knew the ball was coming around, I set my feet and knew I'd be taking a big shot. I took it, and it went in ... After a win like this, I don't need any Tylenol even though my body's still hurting."

That's 12 consecutive strong quarters against three of the league's four highest scoring teams, the first two-game winning streak of the season and, perhaps, the best any Wolves fan has felt all season.