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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The smiling, slam-dunking Rasheed Wallace
was back, replacing the sullen malcontent whose towel-throwing
tantrum earned him an early vacation.
|  | | Rasheed Wallace returned from suspension and had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists. |
Wallace won his matchup with fellow All-Star Kevin Garnett,
scoring 18 points as the Portland Trail Blazers stopped the
Minnesota Timberwolves' 11-game winning streak with a 109-88
victory Tuesday night.
"He's our team. He's our franchise player," Portland's Bonzi
Wells said of Wallace, who was suspended for two games prior to the
All-Star break for flinging a towel at the face of a referee
against Phoenix on Feb. 1. "We weathered the storm the best we
could without him, but Rasheed's the biggest part of our offense,
so it's great to have him back."
Garnett had 20 points and 14 rebounds but committed five of the
Timberwolves' season-high 25 turnovers.
Terrell Brandon added 11 points and just one assist for the
Timberwolves, whose streak was a franchise record and the longest
in the NBA since the Los Angeles Lakers won 19 straight last
season.
"When you win 11 games in a row, you've got a big target on
your back," Brandon said. "They didn't want to be the 12th
victim."
Wallace also had eight rebounds, six assists and no turnovers.
He made eight of 15 shots, bouncing back from a season-worst
4-for-20 performance in the Blazers' 93-80 loss at Minneapolis on
Jan. 27.
"Rasheed didn't play as well the first game, and we knew that
wasn't going to happen twice," Wells said. "We just wanted to
help him a lot on Kevin. He played well defensively one-on-one, but
we helped him a lot, and he played well."
Five other Blazers scored in double figures. Wells had 18
points, and Greg Anthony had 13.
Garnett was coming off a 14-point performance for the West team
in Sunday's All-Star game in which Wallace, his less enthusiastic
teammate, was held to two points on 1-of-7 shooting.
"Rasheed came out with big energy," Garnett said. "At home,
coming off the All-Star break, you tend to have an All-Star high.
And he did."
The Timberwolves might have preferred to have postponed the
five-day break. They had flattened Sacramento by 29 points their
last game out, outscoring the Kings 41-10 in the first quarter.
Against the Blazers, however, Minnesota fell behind 18-4 in the
first 5½ minutes with five turnovers.
"It was disappointing that we didn't play with the same
aggressive that we had in the 11 wins," Minnesota coach Flip
Saunders said. "That's the best anybody's played against us. I
don't think it would have mattered when we played."
Portland broke open the game with a 12-1 run to start the third
quarter. A 3-pointer by Wallace followed by Stacey Augmon's
fastbreak dunk and Garnett's goaltending violation on Wells gave
the Blazers a 66-40 lead.
"They are a rhythm team. Whenever you shoot the basketball the
way they do, you have a good rhythm and get good comfort shots,"
Anthony said. "Tonight we took away a lot of that when it
counted."
The Blazers have the best record in the West, by two games over
the Kings. For Portland, Tuesday night's game was the first of 22,
out of the 32 remaining, against teams that are .500 or better.
"To me, it was a statement game," Garnett said. "They showed
why they're ahead in the West, and that they can dominate teams.
They showed us."
Minnesota got within 10 on a jumper by Chauncey Billups early in
the second quarter, but the Blazers built the lead back with a
five-point possession. Wells spun around Billups on the baseline
for a two-handed dunk. Wells was fouled and missed the free throw,
but the Blazers got the rebound, and Anthony hit a 3-pointer to
make it 41-24.
Game notes
Blazers reserve center Dale Davis sat out with a sore back.
He pulled a muscle getting out of bed Sunday morning. He said he
hopes to play Thursday against Sacramento. ... Portland has won 15
of 16 against the Timberwolves here. Minnesota's win at the Rose
Garden last season snapped a 14-game road losing streak to the
Blazers. ... Garnett has 12 double-doubles in his last 14 games.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Minnesota Clubhouse
Portland Clubhouse
RECAPS
Charlotte 77
Indiana 66
Toronto 120
Cleveland 105
Miami 101
LA Clippers 99
LA Lakers 113
New Jersey 110
Philadelphia 107
Milwaukee 104
Sacramento 97
Utah 94
Chicago 96
Atlanta 92
Houston 99
Washington 89
San Antonio 104
Dallas 92
Denver 96
New York 77
Portland 109
Minnesota 88
Vancouver 99
Boston 98
Phoenix 93
Golden State 83
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Kevin Garnett Official Site
Mike Dunleavy Official Site
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