Minneapolis — On a night when many of their fans showed up to see the opposing team's best player, the Minnesota Timberwolves offered more reasons why they're one of the NBA's best teams.
Kevin Garnett had 23 points and nine assists to offset Michael Jordan's 29 points and lead Minnesota to a 105-101 victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday.
Reggie miller of the pacers defends against Chicago's Ron Mercer. The Pacers slapped the Bulls, 93-81, Monday.
"We just really tried to play together," said Anthony Peeler, who scored 14 points in a reserve role. "We don't have anybody who plays with anger or anything. Everybody loves the game on this team."
The Midwest Division-leading Timberwolves (30-10) won for the 14th time in 16 games and improved to 18-2 at home.
"In the first half, Michael was able to go off on them a little," Wizards coach Doug Collins said. "They just kept running fresh bodies at him, and they make him work so hard. They just wore him down."
Jordan had 22 points in the first half. He was 2-for-15 from the field in the second half.
"In the fourth quarter, I just kind of lost my rhythm," Jordan said. "I was tired, but I had some good looks and the shots didn't fall."
Celtics 106, Raptors 97
Boston Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics showed their resiliency.
Pierce returned from two injuries and scored 10 of his 30 points in the fourth period as the Celtics snapped a two-game losing streak.
Pierce jammed his wrist in the first quarter and injured his right knee while going for a rebound in the third period. He never considered not returning to the game.
"They'll have to carry me off the floor on a stretcher for me not to come back," Pierce said. "At least I know not to fall on my head, I'm to pretty to do that."
Vince Carter scored 26 points two in the fourth quarter for Toronto, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. The Raptors also had their three-game road winning streak halted.
Pierce was held scoreless in the third, before leaving the game with a bruised right knee with 4:27 remaining in the period.
Pierce returned in the fourth quarter and scored eight points in a 17-4 run as Boston opened a 92-75 lead.
Sonics 109, Sixers 98
Philadelphia The Seattle SuperSonics set a team record by shooting over 66 percent and, behind Gary Payton's 28 points, beat the Philadelphia 76ers.
Allen Iverson led the Sixers with 38 points, and became the eighth player in Philadelphia history to score 10,000 career points. Vin Baker added 20 points for the Sonics.
Hornets 111, Knicks 68
New York The New York Knicks were embarrassed in their most-lopsided home loss ever. Latrell Sprewell was scoreless on 0-for-9 shooting. Baron Davis scored 24 points, leading six Hornets in double figures.
Bucks 97, Pistons 79
Auburn Hills, Mich. Michael Redd scored 21 points and Sam Cassell added 18 . Ray Allen scored 15 first-half points.
Hawks 95, Rockets 91
Atlanta Jason Terry scored 19 points and Nazr Mohammed had two big plays down the stretch.
The Hawks had lost their past five at home but salvaged the final game of a five-game homestand. They overcame the loss of leading scorer Shareef Abdur-Rahim, ejected after a third-quarter fight with Houston's Kenny Thomas. Thomas also was ejected.
Mavericks 113, Nets 105
Dallas Dirk Nowitzki scored 39 points, including nine straight during a 17-1 run in the closing minutes, and Jason Kidd missed his first 16 shots.
Kidd, a former Mavericks star, didn't make a field goal until a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left for his only points. He contributed eight rebounds.
Kings 112, Grizzlies 98
Sacramento, Calif. Chris Webber had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Peja Stojakovic scored 21 points.
The Kings extended their winning streak at Arco Arena to 16 games and improved to an NBA-best 31-9.
Tony Massenburg scored 23 points and Rodney Buford added 18 for the Grizzlies, who shot a season-high 56 percent but committed 23 turnovers. Pau Gasol scored 16 points, Stromile Swift had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Brevin Knight added 12 points and 10 assists.
Memphis, which lost its fourth straight, was without Jason Williams and Shane Battier. Williams, who played three seasons in Sacramento before being dealt to Memphis during the offseason for Mike Bibby, missed the game because of a migraine headache. Battier missed his second straight game because of a strained left groin.
Jazz 101, Warriors 99
Oakland, Calif. Karl Malone scored 37 points, making a season-high 16 free throws, and Bryon Russell made five free throws in the final 15 seconds. Antawn Jamison scored 25 points.
Pacers 93, Bulls 81
Chicago Reggie Miller scored 20 points and Jonathan Bender and Al Harrington added 18 apiece. Jalen Rose scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half.
Heat 95, Cavaliers 93, OT
Cleveland Brian Grant made two jumpers in the final 1:22 of overtime. Eddie Jones scored 27 points and Alonzo Mourning had 15 before fouling out.
Clippers 102, Nuggets 89
Los Angeles Elton Brand had a season-high 31 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots. Quentin Richardson, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds, scored five points to spark a 9-1 run that turned a 79-77 Los Angeles lead into a 10-point advantage with 6:25 remaining.
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