Kevin Garnett got the job done early then sat back and watched his supporting crew settle it in overtime.
The league's MVP candidate Garnett went from team leader to cheerleader as Minnesota beat the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers 114-110 on Thursday to take a 2-1 lead in their first round National Basketball Association playoff series.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Garnett had 33 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out 12 seconds into the overtime.
PHOTO: AFP
Garnett switched roles on the bench, turning into the Timberwolves' biggest fan. An animated Garnett spent the overtime on his hands and knees screaming at calls he didn't like and cheering key Minnesota baskets.
Given a choice he would have rather been on the floor.
"It was miserable," said Garnett. "That is the first time since my rookie season I fouled out.
"I couldn't help my team so the only other thing I could do was try and channel my energy and cheer and motivate to get my teammates over the edge."
In other NBA playoff game, New Jersey edged Milwaukee 103-101 and Boston cruised to a 101-83 victory over Indiana.
The Timberwolves victory returned home-court advantage to them in the Western Conference best-of-seven series. Game 4 is tomorrow in Los Angeles.
"I think we handled them beautifully," said Garnett. "With the Lakers you have got to play with just as much confidence as they do. They have more experience [playoffs] than we do and they have been here before."
Minnesota faced a stiff test in trying to regain home-court, upending the Lakers at Staples Center, where Los Angeles had won 15 straight games dating back to Feb. 18. "I have never seen him like that," said Minnesota's Joe Smith of Garnett. "He was getting everybody hyped."
The three-time defending champion Lakers had also won 14 straight opening-round games since 1996.
The Timberwolves led 52-46 at the half and by as much as nine points at one stage in the first half.
Troy Hudson scored 27 points and Marc Jackson had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Timberwolves.
Shaquille O'Neal had 28 points and 17 rebounds and Kobe Bryant scored 30 points for the Lakers.
The Timberwolves trounced the Lakers 119-91 on Tuesday, handing Los Angeles their worst loss in post-season in three years.
Things got a little better for the Lakers on Thursday but they fell behind early and spent the entire game trying to catch up before Bryant forced the overtime.
"We are upset we lost the game," said Bryant who is nursing a sore right shoulder that injured when he missed a dunk in Game 2.
"We did not play our game tonight for some reason," said O'Neal, who made eight of 16 free throws.
Once again Los Angeles got little scoring from veteran Robert Horry, who has just eight points on four-of-13 shooting in 61 minutes over the first two games and was fined US$10,000 on Thursday for bumping a television cameraman in Game 2. Horry finished with four points on Thursday.
New Jersey's Rodney Rogers gathered a deflection and nailed a jumper with two seconds left, giving the Nets a 103-101 triumph over Milwaukee on Thursday.
The victory gives the Nets a 2-1 series lead.
New Jersey, which led by as many as 19 points late in the first half, had a nine-point advantage with 5 1/2 minutes to play and a 101-94 edge with 3 1/2 left.
But the Bucks scored the next seven points, tying it on a finger roll by Toni Kukoc with 27 seconds remaining.
Jason Kidd scored 26 points, Kenyon Martin had 23 for the Nets, who made 23 of their first 26 free-throw attempts.
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