Sprains And Pains Spark Wolves

April 18, 1998 / 1:09 AM EDT / CBS/AP

First, Cherokee Parks left with an injury 33 seconds into the game. Stanley Roberts limped off later in the first half.

It was a typical night for the depleted Minnesota Timberwolves in every way. That's because the latest round of injuries made no difference to one of the NBA's hottest teams.

Kevin Garnett had 20 points and 10 rebounds to help the Wolves to a 102-95 victory over the Houston Rockets in their final regular-season home game Friday. The victory solidified the order of the final two spots in the Western Conference playoff picture, locking Minnesota into seventh and Houston into eighth.

"Tonight was how we played the last month," coach Flip Saunders said. "We played hard. We didn't always play well, but we played with aggressiveness, looking to do things. ... That's the way we've been going lately, with everybody chipping in."

Stephon Marbury overcame a 4-for-16 shooting night with 11 points and 12 assists and Tom Hammonds returned from an eight-game layoff with an ankle injury to score 12 points and grab 10 rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench.

"Not only can K.G. and Stephon hurt you, but we've got six or seven guys who can hurt you," Hammonds said. "That's what it takes. Nobody's going to feel sorry for you (because of injuries) in the playoffs. We've got to play hard no matter who we've got on the floor."

Minnesota went 0-7 against Houston last year, including a three-game sweep in the playoffs. But the Wolves finished 3-1 against the Rockets this season, winning two of those games after leading scorer Tom Gugliotta was lost for the season at the end of January.

Still, the significance of the seventh spot was mostly cosmetic.

Minnesota and Houston both still are waiting to see who their first-round playoff opponent will be. Utah, Seattle and the Los Angeles Lakers were bunched within 1 ½ games atop the conference standings entering Friday night.

The Wolves (44-37) will play the No. 2 seed and Houston (41-40) will play No. 3.

"I really have no preference," said Houston's Clyde Drexler, who had 21 points. "We have to go through the best teams. We have tough teams in our conference. If we can win the first round, we can beat anyone."

Hakeem Olajuwon had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, and Kevin Willis had 22 points. Houston lost for just the second time in six games.

Like the Wolves, the Rockets also have been plagued by injuries. Charles Barkley sat out his third straight game with an ailing foot.

"That's just an excuse," coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "We're a much better team than our record shows. Minnesota's had injuries to players and they've overcome them and are playing well."

Parks' injury, first diagnosed as an ankl and later labeled a hip, could be serious. Saunders said the Wolves will be scouring the CBA to see if they can add a big man before the playoffs.

Roberts had a flareup of his nagging back injury and should be ready when Minnesota hits the road for its first two playoff games next week.

The Wolves entered the season hoping for home-court advantage in the first round. After losing Gugliotta they are content with their franchise-record 44 wins and to finish one notch higher in the conference than last season, when they reached the postseason for the first time.

"It means a lot to this franchise to get 44 wins and make the postseason again," Garnett said. "Last year we made moves and this year we've made moves. We've made a real statement."

Notes: The Wolves finish the season at Milwaukee on Saturday, while the Rockets finish at home against Phoenix on Sunday. ... Minnesota is 1-7 against Houston in April. ... Drexler was 3-for-8 from 3-point range, extending his streak of games with at least one 3-point basket to 22. That's one short of the team record shared by Matt Maloney (1996-97) and Eric Floyd (1988-89). ... The crowd of 19,881 was Minnesota's 12th sellout of the season. The Wolves averaged 18,014 this season, their highest attendance since averaging 18,405 in 1992-93. ... Houston is 6-32 when trailing entering the fourth quarter. ... Garnett got his team-record 45th double-double of the season, fourth best in the NBA.