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Gomes has monster game as Timberwolves top Sonics

Mar 15, 2008 - 6:10 AM By Paul Lowenberg PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Ryan Gomes had 23 points and 15 rebounds and Randy Foye added 21 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 121-116 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics for their third consecutive road victory on Friday night.

Kirk Snyder scored 17 points and Al Jefferson added 16 for Timberwolves, who have won three of their last four games.

"I am jubilant right now that we won this game. But there are lessons to be learned, and this is what it's all about," Minnesota coach Randy Wittman said. "We're not playing for a playoff position right now, we are playing for lessons to be learned these last 18 games."

Minnesota led 107-103 with 5:19 left then went on an 8-2 run which included a pair of baskets by Jefferson - the Timberwolves' leading scorer - for a 115-105 lead with 2:30 left in the game.

But Wittman says most of the credit for the rare victory belonged to Gomes.

"The guy who was solid all night was Ryan," Wittman said. "I thought he was the guru for this team the whole night. In the first half, he was a monster on the boards - activity, helping, diving on the floor - as well as the second half. He was probably our most consistent player and just had a monster game."

The game was close throughout the first half as the Sonics entered the intermission with a 60-57 lead, thanks to Jeff Green's 3-pointer from the corner with 13.6 seconds left.

"Coach Wittman spoke to us at halftime and said we had no problems on offense," Foye said. "Our problem was on defense, and he told us to go out there and pick it up. They came out and jumped on us but, after that, we picked it up."

Minnesota led 97-88 at the end of three as it went 16-of-16 from the foul line in the quarter. Rashad McCants hit a pair of free throws to break an 80-80 deadlock with 3:39 left in the quarter and trigger a 10-2 run. Minnesota's 40 points in the period tied a season high.

Gomes had 12 first-quarter points and both teams shot better than 60 percent from the floor as the Timberwolves ended the period with a 32-30 lead.

Star rookie Kevin Durant scored 24 points, Chris Wilcox added 20 and Green netted 18 for the Sonics, who have lost seven straight.

"Offensive boards hurt us a lot," Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "But it was more poor defense, and the turnovers that hurt us. We had a nine-point lead at one point. But really all night we couldn't get stops when we needed to get stops."