Wolves Tear Apart Sixers

After 574 career games over eight-plus seasons with three different teams, Terrell Brandon finally had his first triple-double.

Brandon had 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds and the Minnesota Timberwolves made 15 of their first 17 shots as they cruised past the Philadelphia 76ers 123-112 Sunday night for their fifth straight victory.

"I've been close in my career, a rebound short or an assist here or there, but now I've gotten over the hump and can say I got one before I retire," Brandon said.

It was the sixth triple-double in Timberwolves history.

Every Minnesota player who took a shot made at least half his attempts.

The Wolves put on a shooting clinic from the outset in building a 20-point lead by the end of the first quarter. Minnesota shot 18-for-22 (82 percent) in the period, with Brandon going 4-for-4, Garnett, Sealy and Nesterovic going 3-for-3 and Peeler shooting 2-for-2.

"They played in Detroit last night, so to come out like that was incredible," Philadelphia's Tyrone Hill said.

The Sixers eventually fell behind by 26 and didn't rally until the fourth quarter against the Timberwolves, whose jeckyl-and-hyde season has included 10 wins in their last 11 following an eight-game losing streak.

Their 123 points were a season-high, eclipsing the 114 they scored in Japan in their second game of the season, and their 64 percent shooting was also a season-best.

"It's a helluva thing that's happened, to go from where we were to where we are," coach Flip Saunders said. "Now we're not far from getting back to the upper echelon of the conference."

Allen Iverson scored 37 to lead the 76ers, who had their five-game home winning streak snapped as they lost at the First Union Center for the first time since Dec. 11.

Minnesota's hot-shooting first quarter wasn't built on the easiest of baskets. The Wolves had only one dunk, two layups and two foul shots in the quarter as they scored 22 of their 39 points on jump shots. A 15-footer by Mitchell with 30 seconds left in the quarter gave Minnesota its first 20-point lead.

Philadelphia was inching its way back midway through the second quarter when one sequence Sealy hitting a jumper after the Wolves' grabbed four offensive rebounds on one possession seemed to sap the Sixers' resolve.

The third quarter saw Minnesota go ahead by as many as 26 after leading by 18 at halftime, and the fourth period featured a full-court press by Philadelphia that got the Sixers as close as nine.

Brandon ended one Philadelphia run by making three consecutive jumpers for a 115-100 lead with just under five minutes left, then dashed another with a 19-foot jumper that made it 117-106 with 2:54 left.

"I've never seen a guard play any better than Terrell Brandon did," Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "I didn't even notice Kevin Garnett was out there, and he gets 20, eight (rebounds) and eight (assists)."

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