Garnett Picks Himself Up for Timberwolves

Kevin Garnett gave the Minnesota Timberwolves a big scare in the third quarter when he banged his head on the floor and left for the locker room with a bloody gash.

Returning in the fourth quarter after receiving a dozen stitches, Garnett gave his team a big lift.

Garnett had 20 points--including seven of his team’s last nine--and 18 rebounds Thursday night to lead Minnesota to a 113-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks at Minneapolis.

“I knew it wasn’t major,” Garnett said. “I still had my wits about me. It wasn’t like I couldn’t remember my name or anything.”

Wally Szczerbiak scored 26 points and Chauncey Billups had 23 points and a career-high 17 assists for the Timberwolves, who held a players-only meeting the day before to address their monthlong slump.

Minnesota, which lost 10 of its first 13 in March, had dropped seven of its previous eight at home.

Steve Nash nearly tied it at the buzzer, but his off-balance shot with one foot on the three-point line went off the back of the rim.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 points and Nick Van Exel had 20 for Dallas, which dropped into a tie with San Antonio for first place in the Midwest Division.

Utah 112, Cleveland 91--Filling in for the ailing Donyell Marshall, Andrei Kirilenko and Scott Padgett each scored 17 points to lead the Jazz at Salt Lake City.

The Jazz solidified its hold on the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference, moving four games ahead of the Clippers.

Toronto 85, Atlanta 83--Jerome Williams’ putback with 6.1 seconds left at Atlanta gave the victory to the Raptors, who have won four in a row since learning that Vince Carter will miss the rest of the season.

Sacramento 101, Houston 74--Chris Webber scored 19 points and Doug Christie had 17 at Houston as the Kings defeated the Rockets for the eighth consecutive time and held Houston to a franchise-record low 29.9% shooting from the field.

Philadelphia 99, Chicago 79--With Allen Iverson out because of a broken hand and Derrick Coleman sidelined by a sore knee, Eric Snow scored 24 points and Speedy Claxton 17 to lead the 76ers at Chicago.

Milwaukee 95, Denver 88--Sam Cassell scored 29 points despite a painful toe injury and Glenn Robinson had 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Bucks at Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Bucks put guard Michael Redd on the injured list because of a sprained left knee. Redd, a second-year guard who must sit out at least five games, is averaging 11.3 points.... Veteran point guard Robert Pack, a former USC standout, was signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves for the rest of the season. Pack had signed a 10-day contract with Minnesota on March 18.