Minnesota evens series with Lakers
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Even without injured Sam Cassell, the Minnesota Timberwolves had the energy and attitude to even the Western Conference finals. Kevin Garnett scored 24 points and Darrick Martin had 15 points and six assists in place of Cassell, leading the Timberwolves to a 89-71 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 Sunday night.
Latrell Sprewell scored 17 points and Wally Szczerbiak had 16, but the Wolves relied on their MVP to put away a game dominated by good defense and bad feelings.
There were seven technical fouls and several trash-talking staredowns in the fourth quarter. Karl Malone was ejected with 2:31 left for a flagrant foul on Martin.
Garnett closed the third quarter with a 3-pointer that helped Minnesota hold off a one-man rally by Kobe Bryant, who scored 27 points and briefly roused the Lakers from their game-long slumber.
But Minnesota coach Flip Saunders had called it a must-win game, and his players responded with all the passion Los Angeles lacked – and Cassell, who played just 43 seconds because of his aching back, surely loved his teammates’ toughness in the chippy final minutes.
Martin, a nine-year journeyman signed out of the CBA, outscored Los Angeles’ entire frontcourt in the first half – and he even got cocky, glaring at the Lakers’ bench after making a 3-pointer with 3:02 to play.
Just 31 seconds later, Malone knocked down Martin, who was unhurt.
Shaquille O’Neal had 14 points and 16 rebounds, and Malone scored just five points while battling constant foul trouble.
Game 3 is Tuesday night at Staples Center. Minnesota’s victory guaranteed Game 5 will be played back at the Target Center on Saturday.
After O’Neal dominated the first game of the Western Conference finals, the Timberwolves figured out how to quiet him down.
O’Neal finished with just 14 points – 4-for-10 from the field and 6-for-14 from the free throw line – for the Lakers in Sunday’s 89-71 loss.
Minnesota publicly worried how to stop O’Neal once this matchup was set. What team doesn’t? He’s 7-foot-1, 340 pounds, too big, too commanding and too experienced to ever be ignored on the court.
Los Angeles got 27 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks from O’Neal in Game 1, when the Wolves avoided the Hack-a-Shaq defense. Their centers combined for only eight fouls, and O’Neal uncharacteristically made nine of his 11 free throws.
But after making his first two foul shots Sunday, O’Neal missed seven of his next eight – including an airball midway through the third quarter that brought jeers from the crowd.
Ervin Johnson, Michael Olowokandi, Oliver Miller, Mark Madsen and Gary Trent accumulated 15 fouls during their turns guarding O’Neal on Sunday.
The Lakers probably could’ve withstood such substandard production from their surpassing center, but Kobe Bryant (27 points) was the only teammate who played with any energy.
The 71 points tied a franchise low for the playoffs, done twice in 1995. Gary Payton had eight points, Karl Malone five and Devean George three.
The Lakers used an 11-0 run over the final three minutes of the third quarter to create a comfortable lead on Friday, and it looked like they were on their way to a similar spurt at that stage of Game 2.
O’Neal grabbed a rebound and dunked to cut Minnesota’s lead to 10 points with 1:39 left in the period, his second field goal of the game and his first since late in the first quarter.
Kareem Rush made a 3-pointer from the wing with 1:04 remaining, and suddenly Los Angeles was within 63-56.
But Miller beat O’Neal to catch a pretty pass from Latrell Sprewell off a pick-and-roll and dunked. Kevin Garnett swished a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to bump the Wolves’ lead back to 12.
The Lakers were clearly frustrated in the fourth quarter, coming no closer than 11 points and losing their cool on more than one occasion.
O’Neal glared at Trent after contact in the lane that drew a foul on Madsen. Shortly afterward, Stanislav Medvedenko picked up a technical foul for lightly pushing Garnett after fouling him.
With 3:39 left in the game, Derek Fisher scowled at Wally Szczerbiak at midcourt and each picked up technical fouls after words were exchanged.
A minute later, Malone was ejected for a flagrant foul. He used a forearm to level Darrick Martin.
In all, Los Angeles had four technicals in the fourth period.