Sonics defeat Timberwolves

SEATTLE – Rashard Lewis made a 3-pointer with 1:41 left to give Seattle its first lead, added a one-handed rebound dunk moments later, and the SuperSonics rallied for an 85-82 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.

Mired in a shooting slump all night, Lewis hit a 3-pointer to give Seattle a 79-77 lead. Minnesota turned the ball over on its next possession, and Lewis emphatically slammed home Chris Wilcox’s missed jumper.

Lewis finished with 22 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, to help Seattle overcome an 11-point deficit early in the quarter despite playing without leading scorer Ray Allen. He was in Los Angeles on Friday having his injured left ankle examined. Allen is considering season-ending surgery.

Allen was being examined by Dr. Richard Ferkel, a noted specialist on ankle injuries. Allen is averaging a career-high 26.4 points in 55 games, but meeting with Ferkel is another indication that surgery may be imminent.

Earl Watson sparked Seattle off the bench with 14 points, and Wilcox added 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Rookie reserve Craig Smith led Minnesota with 19 points, and Kevin Garnett grabbed a season-high 22 rebounds, three off his career high. But Minnesota went 4 minutes without a field goal until Smith’s putback with 2.4 seconds left got the Timberwolves to 84-82.

Minnesota was outscored 19-7 over the final 4:10, and lost for the 16th time in its last 18 road games. The Timberwolves snapped an 11-game road losing streak Wednesday in Sacramento, Calif.

Minnesota appeared on its way to consecutive road wins for the first time since mid-January, leading 66-55 with exactly 10 minutes left on Garnett’s three-point play. That would be the last of Garnett’s 10 points, and Seattle slowly chipped away.

Mike James’ 3-pointer with 4:10 left gave the Timberwolves a 75-68 lead. But Wilcox started a quick 7-0 run with a lob dunk from Watson. Damien Wilkins then beat the Timberwolves in transition for a layup and Watson capped the spurt with an off-balance 3-pointer that banked off the glass before rattling through.

A pair of free throws by James stemmed Seattle for a moment, but free throws by Wilcox and Watson got Seattle to 77-76 before Lewis’ 3-pointer.

Minnesota had six players in double figures, but Garnett shot just 4 of 12. James and Ricky Davis both had 13 and Mark Blount added 12.