03/31/2008 - 18:14
Firestarter
by Jason Grodsky

When Minnesota needed a spark this weekend, they turned to No. 1.

Rashad turned into a scoring machine on Sunday, scoring 13 of his 16 points in the second half of the Timberwolves' 110-103 victory Sunday over the Utah Jazz (48-26).

With Minnesota (19-53) trailing the Jazz 44-43 at halftime, No. 1 came off the bench and buried several big shots to give the Wolves the lead and prolong Utah’s road woes this season.

No. 1’s play in the second half prompted head coach Randy Wittman to keep him on the floor in critical moments late in the game, and he responded by giving Minnesota the boost they we’re looking for.

As described by the Pioneer Press:

After Craig Smith drew an offensive foul on Carlos Boozer, McCants scored, was fouled and converted a three-point play for a seven-point cushion with about 10 minutes left. Later, McCants hit an 18-foot jumper for an 89-80 lead with 8:33 left.

McCants' hot shooting early in the fourth drew double-teams as the quarter progressed. And that left other players in position to score.

"It shows the maturity of the team as far as being here before," McCants said. "It's just all about what we have to do to execute and keep the leads and get the win."

CLOSE IN SAN ANTONIO
Minnesota trailed by 15 at halftime in San Antonio, but with the help of Rashad closed the gap to within four in the third quarter on the back of his seven-straight points.

No. 1 scored nine of his 13 points in the second half, but the Timberwolves couldn’t get close the gap on the Spurs (51-23), falling 99-84.

STREAK REACHES CAREER HIGH
Rashad’s double-digit scoring streak reached a career high 10-games following his 16 point performance on Sunday.

Since the All-Star break No. 1 has now put together his two longest double-figure scoring streaks of nine and now 10 games, all while coming off the bench. Only once has he failed to reach double-digits in the second half of the season.

NEXT UP
Minnesota hosts Detroit (52-21) on Tuesday at 8 PM EST.

RELATED STORIES
Timberwolves fabulous in fourth against Jazz (TwinCities.com, March 31, 2008)
http://www.twincities.com/ci_8752126?nclick_check=1
Minnesota 110, Utah 103 (NBA.com Boxscore, March 31, 2008)
http://www.nba.com/games/20080330/UTAMIN/boxscore.html
Spurs beat Wolves for 50th win (Associated Press, March 29, 2008)
http://www.nba.com/games/20080328/MINSAS/recap.html
San Antonio 99, Minnesota 84 (NBA.com Boxscore, March 29, 2008)
http://www.nba.com/games/20080328/MINSAS/boxscore.html

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