MINNEAPOLIS - Kevin Garnett had 35 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first triple double of the season, helping the Timberwolves hold off Dallas 114-109 Thursday night for their fourth straight victory.
Sam Cassell added 26 points, and Gary Trent had a season-high 18 and 12 rebounds for Minnesota, which won its second straight at home after losing five of its first nine at Target Center.
The Wolves, who wasted a 13-point lead in a 92-88 loss at Dallas on Nov. 29, improved to 4-4 against Western Conference teams.
Steve Nash had nine of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, and Antawn Jamison had 14 of his 22 in the final quarter for the Mavericks, who dropped to 3-9 on the road.
KINGS 101, HORNETS 90: Brad Miller had 21 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists to lead visiting Sacramento. New Orleans (17-10) has lost three straight - all by double-digit margins - for its worst losing streak of the season. The dry spell has come with new coach Tim Floyd needing only one win to surpass his personal best for victories in a season. The most he had in three-plus seasons in Chicago was 17.
BLAZERS 101, SUNS 94: Zach Randolph had 29 points and 20 rebounds for Portland. The Suns have lost six straight road games. Portland, which trailed by as many as six in the second half, was 9-of-10 from the line in the final minute. Portland shot 49.4 percent from the field and 88 percent from the free-throw line. The Blazers also outrebounded Phoenix 47-32.
RIVERS' ANALYSIS: Now that the Magic is winning, former coach Doc Rivers wouldn't be surprised to see Orlando in the playoffs. "I do think they're one of the top eight teams in the East," Rivers said. "We just got off to such a horrific start." Rivers was fired Nov. 18 after a 10-game losing streak dropped Orlando's record to 1-10. Assistant Johnny Davis took over and another nine losses followed for a franchise-record 19-game slump. But the Magic snapped the winless skid last week and has won four of its last six games. "When I left, I told Johnny, "You're going to win a game and when you win a game, you're going to win more games,"' Rivers said. "Every game they win, they're just going to keep getting better." Rivers will make his TV debut as an NBA analyst for ABC Sports on Christmas Day.
