MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Wally Szczerbiak hit a fallaway jumper from the left wing at the buzzer Tuesday night to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 100-98 victory over the league-leading Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks rallied from a 19-point deficit and led by as many as four in the fourth quarter, but Szczerbiak rescued the Timberwolves, who won for the ninth time in 11 games.
With the contest tied 98-98, Minnesota's Kevin Garnett missed a turnaround jumper with 16 seconds left. Steve Nash grabbed the rebound and raced up court without calling a timeout.
But Michael Finley, who scored all 21 of his points in the second half, shot too soon, giving the Timberwolves plenty of time for their final possession. Finley's jumper from the right corner hit the rim and bounced over the backboard.
Garnett scored 26 points and Szczerbiak added 21 for Minnesota, which opened a 58-39 lead with 15 seconds left in the first half.
Dallas took a 92-88 lead when Nash made a technical free throw with 4:16 left. Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 34 points, hit a 21-footer to make it 98-95 with 1:33 left.
Garnett answered with a three-point play with 1:17 left, the final scoring until Szczerbiak's buzzer-beater.
