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Garnett, Celtics take on familiar faces in Timberwolves

Jan 25, 2008 - 3:38 PM Minnesota (7-34) at Boston (33-7) 7:30 pm EST

BOSTON (Ticker) -- Kevin Garnett became one of the NBA's biggest stars as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have looked like a lost cause since the All-Star forward left.

Garnett faces his former team for the first time Friday when the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics host the Timberwolves.

The August 1 deal that brought Garnett from Minnesota and sent Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green and Theo Ratliff out of Boston has worked out well for just one of the clubs so far this season.

The two teams are at extreme ends of the spectrum coming into the contest, as the Celtics have the league's best record compared to Minnesota, which has the league's worst.

But Paul Pierce, who leads the Celtics in scoring at 20.4 points per game, expects a good performance from his former teammates.

"You've got to expect them to be fired up," Pierce said. "Anytime you have players who get traded away from a franchise and they go back to playing them, they're usually up for the game and they have it circled on their calendar."

Garnett, who spent his first 12 seasons with Minnesota, does not even know if he will recognize the Timberwolves.

"A lot of the guys I played with in Minnesota are not even on this team," Garnett said. "It's like a brand new team. The personnel, the trainers, the people behind the scenes are a little more important (to me) than some of the people on the court."

The Timberwolves are currently riding their first two-game winning streak of the season and have been led by Jefferson during the campaign. The 23-year-old center had a career-high 39 points and 15 rebounds - his fifth straight double-double - in Minnesota's 117-107 victory over Phoenix on Wednesday.

Boston hopes to rebound from Wednesday's 114-112 loss here to Toronto.

Garnett scored 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds while Pierce chipped in 19 points and nine assists for the Celtics, who have gone 4-4 since racing to a 29-3 start this season.