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Sunday, Apr. 1 3:00pm ET
T-Wolves' road losing skid ends at six

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Minnesota's Terrell Brandon shared a pregame embrace with the Trail Blazers' Damon Stoudamire, his friend and fellow Portlander. Scottie Pippen joined in on the hug.

Kevin Garnett
Minnesota's Kevin Garnett drives the baseline on Shawn Kemp.
"There's a lot of love in here," referee Bob Delaney remarked.

Love can be fleeting, however, especially for the Blazers, who lost Rasheed Wallace to another ejection and got outscored 12-3 in the final 7 1/2 minutes to lose to the Timberwolves 99-95 Sunday.

Brandon had 30 points and 11 assists, and hit two free throws with 5.9 seconds left to seal the victory. Kevin Garnett added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who had lost six straight road games and nine of 11.

"Phenomenal," teammate Wally Szczerbiak said of Brandon. "This is his hometown, and he always steps up and plays well."

The Blazers were fuming after losing for the eighth time in 13 games, and for the fifth time in eight games at the Rose Garden. Bonzi Wells and Stoudamire walked out without speaking to reporters. Wallace, who broke his own NBA record of 38 technical fouls by picking up his 39th and 40th with 7:29 left in the third quarter, also refused comment. "Go back that way, man," he said to a reporter who approached him.

Wallace has been ejected seven times this season, and both teams said his absence had a huge impact.

"It hurt us, no question," Blazers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "He's your leading scorer, so obviously, you need him in there. You want him in there."

"He's an important part of their team," Brandon said, "so not having him in there presents another good matchup for us."

Steve Smith scored 25 to lead the Blazers, and Wells added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Dale Davis had 16 points on 8-for-11 shooting.

With Sacramento and the Los Angeles Lakers both losing, Portland remained 2½ games behind the Pacific Division-leading Kings and a half-game behind the Lakers. But the Blazers are again tied with Dallas for fifth in the Western Conference playoff race.

The Wolves, firmly in the eighth spot, stayed 2½ games behind No. 7 Phoenix.

Minnesota led 94-93 when Felipe Lopez sank a 3-pointer with 1:13 to go. Garnett set up the play by outmuscling Davis for an offensive rebound, and the Timberwolves moved the ball around the key to find Lopez open in the corner.

Smith spun around Wally Szczerbiak for a dunk to cut the lead to 97-95 with 58.6 seconds left. The Blazers got the ball back with a chance to tie or win, but with everyone in the crowd standing, Scottie Pippen's 3-pointer was short off the iron, and Brandon came away with the ball.

"This is a playoff-type atmosphere here in Portland," Garnett said. "Just the energy in the building and the way the teams went back and forth at each other. I thought it was a great opening act for the playoffs upcoming."

Minnesota is 2-1 against the Blazers, with the final game coming Wednesday in Minneapolis.

Wallace was ejected after arguing that no foul was called when the Blazers botched a 4-on-1 fast break and lobbed a pass beyond his reach.

After Lopez made a long jumper to put the Wolves ahead 73-66, the Blazers rallied to take a four-point lead entering the fourth. A steal by Shawn Kemp led to a dunk by Wells, giving the Blazers a 92-87 lead with 7:34 to go.

But the Blazers made just one field goal the rest of the way, and finished 4-for-19 in the period.

"It's frustrating," Pippen said. "We're not growing as a team. We're not starting to show that we're maturing and getting better. We're not playing smart out on the court."

The teams played a sensational second quarter, with the Blazers shooting 63 percent and outscoring the Timberwolves 34-26 to take a three-point halftime lead.

Smith had 13 points and an assist in the first 5:23 of the quarter. Davis took over from there, making five inside baskets -- including four dunks -- against Minnesota's weak inside defense.

Davis' layup on a pass from Strickland with two-tenths of a second left in the half gave the Blazers a 62-59 lead.

Game notes
The Timberwolves improved to 4-20 in Portland. ... With Smith and Davis leading the way, Portland's reserves outscored Minnesota's 50-14. ... Strickland had eight assists, becoming the eighth player in NBA history to reach 7,000. ... Pippen scored seven points, moving past Kevin McHale for 56th place on the career list. Pippen has 17,337 points.

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Blazers' Wallace ejected, breaks season record for technicals


RECAPS
Philadelphia 104
Indiana 93

Charlotte 80
Boston 79

Minnesota 99
Portland 95

Utah 92
Vancouver 73

New York 79
LA Lakers 78

Orlando 104
Toronto 101

Detroit 104
Golden State 87

New Jersey 101
Houston 98

Phoenix 106
Milwaukee 99

Dallas 119
Sacramento 107

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 Rod Strickland dishes to Bonzi Wells for an open jam.
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