Minneapolis ? Latrell Sprewell started it, Kevin Garnett kept it going, and Sam Cassell finished it off.

In the end, Minnesota’s “Big Three” combined for 75 points as the Timberwolves beat the Phoenix Suns, 110-95, Tuesday night for their third straight victory and 17th in 21 games.

“We take turns,” said Cassell, who had 22 points and 10 assists. “Whoever jump-starts us and then somebody’s got to finish it off.”

Sprewell scored 15 points in the first quarter, Garnett had 32 points and 14 rebounds, and Cassell hit three straight key shots in the fourth quarter.

“It just seems like one guy takes over certain a part of the game and continues to do that,” coach Flip Saunders said.

To be fair, Garnett seemed to take over the entire game as he posted his league-leading 47th double-double. Minnesota improved to 23 games over .500 (38-15) for the first time in team history.

“We establish the lead and want to be aggressive from the start,” Garnett said. “Sam came in and hit some big shots in the fourth quarter.”

Amare Stoudemire scored 29 points, and Joe Johnson added 25 for Phoenix, which has lost six straight games for the third time this season.

Lakers 89, Blazers 86

Los Angeles — Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, including a tiebreaking, left-handed layup with 31.8 seconds remaining to lift Los Angeles. Bryant also had eight rebounds and a season-high 10 assists as the Lakers won in their first action after the All-Star break. Portland’s Shareef Abdur-Rahim missed a jumper with about 12 seconds left that could have tied it.

Kings 127, Celtics 111

Sacramento, Calif. — Peja Stojakovic scored 28 points, and Vlade Divac had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists as Sacramento defeated Boston. Mike Bibby had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Kings.

Hornets 89, Pacers 75

Indianapolis — Jamal Mashburn had 20 points, and Baron Davis added 19 points and eight assists to lead New Orleans past Indiana. Robert Traylor had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Nuggets 106, 76ers 85

Denver — Carmelo Anthony scored nine of his 28 points in a pivotal third quarter, and Denver posted its third straight win. Kenny Thomas had 17 points and 16 rebounds for Philadelphia, which had 21 turnovers.

Rockets 107, Wizards 81

Houston — Jim Jackson scored 17 points, and Yao Ming had 16 and four blocked shots to lead Houston. Kelvin Cato had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Cuttino Mobley scored 12 for the Rockets.

Bucks 127, Magic 104

Milwaukee — Michael Redd scored 27 points, and Milwaukee overcame Tracy McGrady’s big performance to defeat Orlando. McGrady scored 41 points in the Magic’s eighth straight loss.

Bulls 75, Raptors 73

Chicago — Jamal Crawford had 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and Eddy Curry added 15 points to lead Chicago past Toronto.

Grizzlies 109, Mavs 92

Memphis, Tenn. — James Posey had 19 points, Stromile Swift added 18, and Memphis continued its dominance at home. Memphis won its 20th home game — and sixth of its last seven.

Knicks 92, Pistons 88

New York — Stephon Marbury made a clutch three-pointer with 40 seconds left, and the Knicks — revamped again following the trade of Keith Van Horn and Michael Doleac — sent the Pistons to their sixth consecutive loss. Marbury finished with 28 points, nine assists and five steals. Chauncey Billups had 26 points for the Pistons.

Heat 97, Jazz 85

Miami — Rookie Dwyane Wade scored 31 points, and Miami used a big run in the second quarter to beat Utah.