PHOENIX, March 9 (UPI) -- Kevin Garnett had his fourth triple-double of the season with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists Sunday night, helping Minnesota snap a four-game skid with a 105-98 victory over Phoenix.
Garnett completed his 10th career triple-double by the end of the third quarter. He shot 10 of 22 from the field, nine of 11 from the line and set a career high for assists. He is one triple-double behind Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers for the league lead.
"I'm not a stat guy," Garnett said. "I'm a win kind of guy. My teammates know not to really come at me with that until the game is really secured, but no, I can't remember a time I had a triple-double in the third quarter."
"Garnett was awesome," said Phoenix Coach Frank Johnson. "They hit every shot they needed to hit down the stretch and made every play that they needed to make. We had our chances and we just did not execute offensively down the stretch."
Wally Szczerbiak added 18 points and eight rebounds as Minnesota avoided its longest skid in almost a year and notched its first victory on its five-game road trip.
Stephon Marbury totaled 28 points and seven assists against his former team, but Phoenix had a two-game winning streak stopped.
"The game is about runs," Marbury said. "We didn't really dig ourselves a hole. A hole is 15 or 20 points. We played hard. We played well tonight, and played well enough to win. We just didn't come up with (the) W."
Minnesota held a 10-point lead in the third quarter and then had to fight for its first victory in its last four trips to Phoenix.
Penny Hardaway's basket forged a 96-96 tie with 1:54 remaining, but Garnett gave the Timberwolves the lead for good with a 13-footer with 65 seconds left.
Szczerbiak added a three-pointer 25 seconds later and Anthony Peeler made four free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the win.
Anthony Peeler finished with 14 points, and Rasho Nesterovic and Troy Hudson contributed 13 apiece as Minnesota shot 49 percent from the field and converted 25-of-29 from the line.
Rookie Amare Stoudemire had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Shawn Marion chipped in with 10 and 13 for the Suns, who scored 21 points off the Timberwolves' 15 turnovers, and outscored Minnesota, 40-26, in the paint.
