NBA PLAYOFFS Minnesota gets needed victory against Lakers

Kevin Garnett scored 24 points for Minnesota.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- From his CBA credentials to his wayward jumper, Darrick Martin has little in common with All-Star point guard Sam Cassell.
They share only a uniform and an attitude -- and that was all Martin needed to help the Minnesota Timberwolves even the Western Conference finals.
Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Martin scored 15 points in place of his injured teammate to lead the Timberwolves to an 89-71 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 Sunday night.
Martin, a nine-year journeyman signed away from the Sioux Falls Sky Force in February, played 36 minutes when Cassell's back tightened up after the first 43 seconds.
The circumstances might intimidate another guard -- but though Martin had a few regrettable shots, he made no turnovers and got six assists while relying heavily on Garnett to run the Timberwolves' simplified offense.
"It's not an intimidating situation to me," Martin said. "I know what I can do on the court. That doesn't change just because you're not playing, or because it's the playoffs."
Wild fling
He scored on a wild fling under the hoop at halftime, and he even glared at the Los Angeles bench after making a 3-pointer with three minutes to play -- which might have led to the flagrant foul he received from Karl Malone 30 seconds later.
Latrell Sprewell scored 17 points and Wally Szczerbiak had 16, but the Timberwolves needed an impressive group effort to even the series in a game dominated by good defense and bad feelings -- including seven technical fouls and several trash-talking staredowns in the fourth quarter.
"We didn't have a choice," Garnett said of Minnesota's superb team play. "Our general was out. We just kind of looked at ourselves and said, 'OK, it's up to us now.' "
Garnett closed the third quarter with a 3-pointer that helped Minnesota hold off a one-man rally by Kobe Bryant, who scored 27 points and briefly roused Los Angeles from its game-long slumber. It wasn't nearly enough, and the Lakers matched the lowest-scoring playoff game in franchise history while making less than 37 percent of their shots.
Composure lost
Malone acknowledged he lost his head when he floored Martin, but the incident only added spice to a series that appeared to be a bit one-sided after the Lakers' victory in Game 1. Instead, the pressure is back on the Lakers heading to Game 3 in Los Angeles Tuesday night.
"We shouldn't be causing that," said Malone, who had just five points while battling constant foul trouble. "We should be bigger little boys than that. We didn't handle the situation well. Give them credit. They kept their composure and won the ball game."
Shaquille O'Neal had 14 points and 16 rebounds, but didn't strike fear in the Timberwolves as he did in Game 1. He picked up a technical early in the fourth after jawing with Gary Trent.
The Lakers trailed 58-40 early in the third before Bryant scored six straight points, hitting jumpers and making big defensive plays. Los Angeles got within seven points moments later, but Minnesota responded with an 11-3 run.
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