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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- After 574 career games over eight-plus
seasons with three different teams, Terrell Brandon finally had his first triple-double.
Brandon had 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds and the
Minnesota Timberwolves made 15 of their first 17 shots as they
cruised past the Philadelphia 76ers 123-112 Sunday night for their
fifth straight victory.
|  | | Terrell Brandon, who had his first triple-double, also helped the Wolves win with defense, like this steal against Aaron McKie. |
"I've been close in my career, a rebound short or an assist
here or there, but now I've gotten over the hump and can say I got
one before I retire," Brandon said.
It was the sixth triple-double in Timberwolves history.
Six other players scored in double figures for the Wolves as Malik Sealy added 23, Kevin Garnett had 20, Joe Smith 16, Sam
Mitchell 14, Anthony Peeler 13 and Radoslav Nesterovic 10.
Every Minnesota player who took a shot made at least half his
attempts.
The Wolves put on a shooting clinic from the outset in building
a 20-point lead by the end of the first quarter. Minnesota shot
18-for-22 (82 percent) in the period, with Brandon going 4-for-4,
Garnett, Sealy and Nesterovic going 3-for-3 and Peeler shooting
2-for-2.
"They played in Detroit last night, so to come out like that
was incredible," Philadelphia's Tyrone Hill said.
The Sixers eventually fell behind by 26 and didn't rally until
the fourth quarter against the Timberwolves, whose jeckyl-and-hyde
season has included 10 wins in their last 11 games following an
eight-game losing streak.
Their 123 points were a season-high, eclipsing the 114 they
scored in Japan in their second game of the season, and their 64
percent shooting was also a season-best.
"It's a helluva thing that's happened, to go from where we were
to where we are," coach Flip Saunders said. "Now we're not far
from getting back to the upper echelon of the conference."
Allen Iverson scored 37 to lead the 76ers, who had their five-game home winning streak snapped as they lost at the First
Union Center for the first time since Dec. 11.
Minnesota's hot-shooting first quarter wasn't built on the
easiest of baskets. The Wolves had only one dunk, two layups and
two foul shots in the quarter as they scored 22 of their 39 points
on jump shots. A 15-footer by Mitchell with 30 seconds left in the
quarter gave Minnesota its first 20-point lead.
Philadelphia was inching its way back midway through the second quarter when one sequence -- Sealy hitting a jumper after the Wolves grabbed four offensive rebounds on one possession -- seemed to sap the Sixers' resolve.
The third quarter saw Minnesota go ahead by as many as 26 after
leading by 18 at halftime, and the fourth period featured a
full-court press by Philadelphia that got the Sixers as close as
nine.
Brandon ended one Philadelphia run by making three consecutive
jumpers for a 115-100 lead with just under five minutes left, then
dashed another with a 19-foot jumper that made it 117-106 with 2:54
left.
"I've never seen a guard play any better than Terrell Brandon did," Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "I didn't even notice Kevin Garnett was out there, and he gets 20, eight (rebounds) and eight
(assists)."
Game notes
Theo Ratliff, sidelined most of the season with a sore
ankle, played in his first game since Dec. 20. He was on the court
for just 11 minutes, shooting 0-for-1 with two rebounds, and was
booed off the floor when he fouled out late in the third quarter.
"Theo Ratliff was awful, but I expected it," Brown said. "He got four offensive fouls and he didn't get any breaks. He's just not ready yet." ... Iverson, who played despite a sore thumb injured
in practice Friday, has scored at least 32 points in five straight.
This was his 16th 30-plus game of the season. ... Minnesota
improved to 12-0 when shooting 50 percent or better. The Wolves
have reached that mark seven times in their last 11 games. ...
Garnett has reached double figures in points in 160 consecutive
games, the longest such streak in the NBA.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Minnesota Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
RECAPS
Vancouver 107
Toronto 97
Minnesota 123
Philadelphia 112
Seattle 100
Golden State 95
Sacramento 116
Indiana 113
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