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Garnett, Timberwolves pull away from Nets

Jan 14, 2007 - 5:49 AM MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves got hot at the right time.

Garnett scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and sparked a huge run as the Timberwolves stayed hot with a 109-98 victory over the New Jersey Nets.

Minnesota entered the game having won five of its last six games but trailed, 77-72, after three quarters. The Timberwolves had not led since early in the first quarter but changed that in a flash.

The Nets started the final period 1-of-7 from the field while the Timberwolves hit 7-of-9 shots to pull away. Garnett scored eight points in a 23-8 run that gave Minnesota a 95-85 lead with 4:21 to play.

"It was a game were we found a way to win," Minnesota coach Dwane Casey said. "It was one of those nights where you could see that for three quarters they were running in mud, but we never gave up."

Garnett finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds and four assists. He had 24, eight and three in the second half.

"The first half was a little sluggish, but the second half we were a lot more aggressive," Garnett said. "Games aren't won in the first half, not in the third quarter. The fourth quarter is when games are decided. I like the fact that we're being aggressive for 48 minutes."

Behind the play of Garnett, who surpassed the 10,000-rebound mark in the third quarter, the Timberwolves outscored the Nets, 37-21, in the final period.

"It's hard when they get a 37-point fourth quarter. But in the first half, they still shot 50 percent," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. "And then defensively we had so many breakdowns, so everything gets magnified. Obviously, we made some bad decisions on the offensive end, but you don't give yourself any margin for error when you can't get a stop."

The Nets also had won five of six and got a big game from Jason Kidd, but it wasn't enough. Kidd nearly recorded his second straight triple-double, collecting 24 points, 13 assists and six rebounds.

"It was surprising to us (how the fourth quarter went), because we have been buckling down and getting stops when we needed them in the fourth quarter lately," Kidd said. "Credit Minnesota. They really took over in the fourth quarter. They got open shots, got to the free-throw line and made us rush out shots a lot."

Rookie Randy Foye had a bounce-back game for Minnesota, scoring 16 points off the bench. The seventh pick in the draft, Foye was averaging 5.3 points in his last three games and was coming off a 1-of-10 performance in Wednesday's 92-91 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

"Randy Foye came in an did a magnificent job against one of the best point guards in the league," Casey said.