T-Wolves' Supporting Cast Comes Up Big
The Associated Press
Sunday, February 25, 2007; 8:08 PM
MINNEAPOLIS -- In a matchup of All-Stars, it was the Timberwolves' supporting cast that made the difference. Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 17 rebounds Sunday in leading Minnesota to a 98-94 victory over the Washington Wizards that ended a three-game slide.
Fellow All-Star Gilbert Arenas finished with 20 for the Wizards, but was harried into shooting 4-for-22 from the field. He had averaged 39 points in three games since the All-Star break.
  Washington Wizards' DeShawn Stevenson, center, goes to the basket between Minnesota Timberwolves defenders Ricky Davis, left, and Mark Blount, right, during the second quarter in a basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2007, in Minneapolis.(AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid) (Tom Olmscheid - AP) |
Garnett got help from Ricky Davis, who scored 27 points, and Randy Foye, who had 13 points and eight assists. The Timberwolves beat Washington at home for the seventh straight season.
"I should expect that from those guys," Garnett said. "Doing it on a consistent basis, that's the challenge."
Arenas went 11-for-12 from the foul line and DeShawn Stevenson scored 21 for Washington, which lost its second straight.
The Wizards played without All-Star forward Caron Butler, who missed the game with back spasms. He is second on the team in points (20.3) and rebounds (7.6) per game. Jarvis Hayes got the start and finished 1-for-10. Andray Blatche, the Wizards' other starting forward, was 3-for-10 from the field.
"They just said, 'Hey. We will just let those guys shoot and we will load up on Gil,'" said Washington coach Eddie Jordan, who doesn't know Butler's status for Tuesday's game in New Jersey.
Minnesota coach Randy Wittman was pleased with the way his team adjusted to shut down Arenas, after the guard scored 38 in a 112-100 win over the Timberwolves on Tuesday.
"That game we gave him too many wide angles to the basket, where there was nobody to impede," he said. "Tonight we did a good a job as we've done in terms of clogging the lane."
Davis spent much of the night guarding Arenas, but he wasn't the only one to slow down the so-called "Agent Zero."
"(Foye) took him, Mike (James) took him, we had all four or five guys there challenging him and making him take tough shots and he finishes 4-of-22," Davis said. "Somebody had a hand in his face at all times."
Even so, Arenas' 3-pointer got the Wizards within five points midway through the fourth, and a three-point play by Brendan Haywood got Washington within three points 2 minutes later.
