Timberwolves finish off Clippers sweep
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-03-28 17:42

Latrell Sprewell scored 18 points, Kevin Garnett had 17 points and 15 rebounds and the Minnesota Timberwolves completed a four-game season sweep of the Los Angeles Clippers with a 98-82 victory on Saturday night.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Ervin Johnson, right, shoots over the defense of Los Angeles Clippers forward Elton Brand, left, during the first half Saturday, March 27, 2004, in Los Angeles. [AP]

Playing at Staples Center for the second consecutive night — after shooting a season-low 31.4 percent in a 17-point loss to the Lakers — Minnesota pulled into a tie with the Lakers for second place in the Western Conference standings, two games behind Sacramento with eight to play.

The victory gave the Midwest Division-leading Timberwolves their third straight 50-win season.

Elton Brand's 22 points and rookie Chris Kaman's career-high 19 points and 12 rebounds couldn't prevent a season-worst seventh straight defeat for the Clippers. They have dropped 15 of 17 and five straight at home.

Minnesota beat the Clippers for the seventh straight time, including a 95-64 rout last season at Los Angeles — the Timberwolves' largest winning margin ever on the road.

Center Michael Olowokandi played his first game against the Clippers since leaving as a free agent last offseason and scored seven point in 12 minutes. The sellout crowd of 19,424 booed him when he entered the game at the start of the second quarter, and every time he touched the ball.

Olowokandi, who spent his first five NBA seasons with the Clippers after becoming the first overall pick in the 1998 draft, didn't play in the first three meetings because of an injured right knee that required arthroscopic surgery on Dec. 12.

The Clippers were trailing 73-59 when forward Corey Maggette received a technical foul from referee Ed Malloy with 2:01 left in the third quarter, then flung the ball back at him and was ejected after scoring 17 points. Dunleavy was ejected moments later by Dan Crawford after getting his second technical foul.

Assistant coach Jim Eyen guided the Clippers the rest of the way, and they cut the deficit to 11 points with 9:48 remaining.

But Garnett triggered a 7-0 spurt with a 20-footer and Wally Szczerbiak followed with a 13-footer and a 3-pointer for a 88-70 cushion with 8:13 to play. The Clippers got no closer than 12 points with 2:34 left.

Sprewell drained three shots from behind the arc in a 71-second span late in the second quarter to help Minnesota take a 52-42 halftime lead.

Notes:@ The Timberwolves avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season. The only other teams that haven't lost more than two straight are Indiana and Sacramento. ... The only other time Minnesota swept all four games against the Clippers was 1997-98. ... The Timberwolves are 7-7 this month after going a combined 34-9 in December, January and February.

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