<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">SALT LAKE CITY - Disparage the recent competition all you want. Point fingers at some trouble spots that linger. Look askance even at their perch atop the Northwest Division standings, which admittedly has as much to do with the company they're keeping -- no other team capable of winning more than it has lost -- as with their own blossoming record. The Timberwolves, for the moment, aren't going to apologize for any of it. Not their 10-6 record, their first-place position, the little roll on the road that they're on or their 91-77 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night at the Delta Center. In another performance that had more pistons firing than missing, a reversal of some mid-November efforts, the Wolves got stellar play from a few players, solid play from several more and won for the seventh time in their past nine tries. It was their fourth consecutive victory away from home, bumping them to 4-4 on the road with one more (at Portland Wednesday) left on this trip. Wally Szczerbiak scored a game-high 26 points, Kevin Garnett had 21, and Eddie Griffin was a basketball purist's delight with 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocked shots, all in less than 28 minutes. Minnesota limited the Jazz to 37.7 percent shooting and 77 points, good defensive numbers even against an opponent that has problems in those areas. The success is starting to show in the mood of the locker room and the fun the Wolves have been having on the court. Once flashes, there were whole stretches Monday. "There should be, because everything we've earned, we've had to work hard for," Garnett said. "Wally was in a slump three-and-a-half weeks ago. Now he's shooting the ball well, so I'm sure he's feeling good." Garnett continued: "Marko [Jaric] is playing a lot better. Team-wise, we're playing a lot better. So are we enjoying this win? Yeah. At the same time, we know we have to put this to the side and get ready for another task. "But yeah, the morale is up a little bit." Coach Dwane Casey had expected Monday's game to be decided by energy as much as any other factor; both teams had played, won and traveled to Salt Lake City on Sunday night (the Wolves from Sacramento, the Jazz from Portland). He planned to dig deeper into his bench and substitute more frequently. Yet the player who brought the most energy for Minnesota already was a regular part of the rotation. Griffin was a defensive dervish, grabbing seven boards and blocking four shots before halftime. His play, and the disruptions it caused for Utah, gave the Wolves time to catch up on offense. That came after the break. Utah had edged ahead 48-46, but then the Wolves' ball movement and shot-making got them a 16-4 run. Troy Hudson hit an important three-pointer to close that quarter, keeping his club in front 68-61. In the fourth, Szczerbiak had fans groaning just by catching, unattended, a pass from Garnett in the corner, his three-pointer making it 75-69. An Andre Kirilenko rainbow, shot out of respect over Griffin, got the Jazz within four. But Szczerbiak scored seven and Griffin four in a 16-5 push to the finish.</div> Source
