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Davis scores 33 as Timberwolves end three-game slide

Mar 7, 2007 - 6:54 AM MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Ricky Davis and the Minnesota Timberwolves showed the Los Angeles Lakers they were not giving up on this season.

Davis had 33 points, including the tying layup in the first overtime and the go-ahead jumper with 3:24 left in the second overtime, as the Timberwolves hung tough and posted a 117-107 victory over the undermanned Lakers.

Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 17 rebounds for Minnesota, which had lost three straight games and 11 of 15 to fall 2 1/2 games out of the eighth and final Western Conference playoff slot. It picked up one-half game on the idle Los Angeles Clippers.

"It definitely gives us a little more breathing room," Garnett said. "We needed a win and it couldn't come at a better time. Tonight's win was definitely the definition of a team win."

Coming off a 124-117 double-overtime loss to Boston on Sunday in which he scored a season-high 35 points, Davis shot 10-of-23 from the floor, 12-of-12 from the line and added 10 rebounds and eight assists in 56 minutes.

"We were just in a game like this in Boston. We needed to get a win like this," Minnesota interim coach Randy Wittman said. "I'm proud of these guys for how they competed for 58 minutes. It looked bleak at times, but they threw their heart out on the floor."

Davis converted two free throws after being fouled on a drive to the basket with 3.1 ticks left in regulation that tied the game at 98-98. His follow shot off a miss by Garnett with 3.3 seconds left in the first overtime forced another session, and his jumper from the top of the key in the second overtime gave the Wolves a 109-107 lead.

"I love the pressure," Davis said. "Some people, I don't know if they like the pressure, but I think I work better under pressure."

On Minnesota's next possession, Randy Foye followed a miss by Garnett for its biggest lead of the game with 87 seconds left.

"I seen something that looked like Superman coming through the air, but it wasn't Superman, it was Randy," Garnett said. "It was good. The kid plays with effort. He's going to make some mistakes, but we all are. But he continues to play with energy and that's what we need from him."

Kobe Bryant scored 40 points on 13-of-30 shooting, but had just three points in the overtimes for the Lakers, who dropped to 0-2 during this four-game road trip and nine of 12 overall.

"It's a tough situation to have this happen on the first game of a back-to-back," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We just have to go play ball tomorrow night and see how guys recover.

"That was a tiring game for Kobe. They were hanging on him and double-teaming him all night."

Minnesota shot 28-of-32 from the charity stripe and did not miss after the first period, while Smush Parker missed four free throws - three in the first overtime and one with 5.2 seconds left in regulation - for Los Angeles.

"It's frustrating because it's the little things that beat you," Bryant said. "You've got to step to the line and knock down free throws. Make sure you don't give guys open looks at the basket. Things of that nature. It's the little things that we've got to close games out with."

Los Angeles, which was playing without injured forwards Lamar Odom, Luke Walton and Vladimir Radmanovich, led most of the way, but Minnesota forced overtime with the help of an unlikely source. Going into the game Mark Blount had made just 5-of-19 shots from the arc, but the 7-0 footer connected on three 3-pointers within 92 seconds, the third bringing the Timberwolves within 97-96 with 58 seconds left.

"Mark Blount was a big plus in us coming back and winning the game," Davis said. "My play (of the game) was Mark Blount hitting those three big 3-pointers. I think that was the turning point of the game."

Parker split two free throws with 5.2 seconds remaining, setting the stage for Davis, who received an inbounds pass from midcourt on the left wing. He beat Bryant on a drive to the left baseline, drew a foul from Kwame Brown and swished the free throws.

"You miss foul shots in situations like that, Smush made a great play and got a steal, then gets one out of the two," Jackson said. "Kobe tried to get a steal on the next play and obviously got out of position and Ricky Davis got a foul opportunity at the end of the game, which is unusual that you get that."

Los Angeles threw away its inbound pass, and a half-court shot at the buzzer by Foye bounced off the rim.