Even though Wally Szczerbiak tried to be nice and friendly to Shaquille O'Neal at the All-Star Game, scooting his chair over a few inches so the big man would have more room on the Western Conference squad's bench, it didn't earn him much goodwill.

Heading into the Timberwolves game Wednesday, the Lakers center had questioned Szczerbiak's 34 points in the Wolves' 120-102 victory on Jan. 11.

"He's not the type that's supposed to get (34 points)," O'Neal said. "He's a hustle player, but he's only supposed to get 10-12." O'Neal then challenged teammate Kobe Bryant to shut the Wolves' shooting guard down.

Well, it worked both ways Wednesday night. Szczerbiak scored only 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting. But Bryant scored only four of his 20 points in the second half and shot 8-for-25. That left him 17-for-52 over his past two games at Target Center.

"I just tried to make him earn everything," Szczerbiak said. "He got some chippies in the first half and got off quick, got a couple layups on the break and a couple offensive rebounds. But for the most part, when I was on him one-on-one, I just made him shoot over me and take a tough shot.

Before last week, the best trade Kevin McHale had made as Timberwolves vice president was the one that brought Tom Gugliotta to Minnesota for Donyell Marshall in 1995.

But Gugliotta is long gone and McHale probably helped the team more this time when he traded center Dean Garrett, who didn't average three minutes of action, for Golden State's Marc Jackson, an NBA Rookie of the Year candidate last year who gives the team the big, strong rebounder it has needed so badly.

In Wednesday night's 112-101 victory over the Lakers, Jackson played 26 minutes, hit five of nine shots and two of two free throws for 12 points and picked up four big rebounds to give the Wolves a big lift in the third quarter when it looked as if the Lakers were going to make a comeback.

"I liked him a lot in Golden State," said McHale. "He is a big body out there. With his size and height he could play for the Vikings. He helped us win this game tonight."

Timberwolves forward Gary Trent is more eager to return to the court each day he takes part in workouts.

"The more I do, the more confidence I build back that nothing will happen to me,'' said Trent, who has been sidelined since Feb. 6 with a strained left hamstring. "But I would say I'm still about two weeks away."

Trent said he has stayed in shape by riding a stationary bike and lifting weights, in addition to participating in limited drills in practice.

Trent's averaging 7.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in 18 minutes a game.

In assessing Chauncey Billups' decision-making, coach Flip Saunders likens the Wolves' point guard to a spirited young quarterback who is learning, sometimes the hard way, how to read defenses: A great play might be followed by a bad read or two, followed by another good play.

Take the football analogy one step further.

Billups is a young quarterback who knows that even if he makes two or three bad plays, he is not going to get pulled by the head coach. Why? Because there is no grizzled veteran the coach can warm up on the sidelines.

The case can be made that for a team with postseason aspirations, this is a dangerous condition.

In leading the Timberwolves to a 112-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, Billups offered a powerful on-court rebuttal. In finishing with 30 points (including seven three-pointers), 11 assists and only three turnovers in 39 minutes, Billups demonstrated that this dangerous condition might occasionally have its hidden benefits.

Coach Phil Jackson wasn't out of line last weekend when, sizing up the Timberwolves, he claimed to see "fear in their eyes."

Like it or not, there have been times -- in losing 15 in a row on the Los Angeles Lakers' floor dating back to 1993, in getting pounded inside by Shaquille O'Neal with no cavalry or firemen in sight -- when one or more Wolves players gladly would have slipped out a back door with time left on the game clock. Word is, a whisper of "Dyan Cannon" can cause shivers, and certain Wolves past or present can't watch a Jack Nicholson movie without breaking into a cold sweat.

So Jackson's facts weren't necessarily off. But his timing was.

The Wolves left their fear in the locker room -- if it was there anymore, anyway -- and beat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-101 Wednesday night at sold-out, snarling Target Center.

Shaquille O'Neal dismissed the Timberwolves' acquisition of Marc Jackson with one word.

"So?" he said Sunday, unimpressed by the Wolves and their attempt to upgrade as the Western Conference playoff race heats up.

That was about all the deep thought the self-dubbed Big Aristotle cared to expend on the topic, although he was equally unmoved by Dallas' maneuver to close the gap by adding Raef LaFrentz and Nick Van Exel. "Won't work," he expounded to reporters in New York that day.

Still, the Wolves -- who face Shaq and the NBA's two-time defending champion Lakers on Wednesday at Target Center -- finally might be able to offer a snappy retort to O'Neal's "So?"

Some back-alley bon mot along the lines of "Oh yeah?" Or even "So yourself."

O'Neal might not see it, but the Wolves (38-18) consider themselves to be a lot tougher inside than they were just six days ago. They look it, thanks to Jackson's naturally wide frame and bowling-ball grace in the lane. And they feel it, in the way they gave what they only used to get, in terms of physical play, Saturday at San Antonio and against the Hornets on Monday in Charlotte.

Timberwolves guard Wally Szczerbiak thought about the question while sitting on a chair after practice Tuesday and watching newly acquired Marc Jackson work on drills across the court.

After several seconds, he came up with a simple answer.

"It's tough to stop him," Szczerbiak said. "You know he's going to score points. You just can't let him go wild and score well above his average"

"Him" being Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal.

Even with the recent addition of the wide-bodied Jackson to provide depth in the frontcourt to wear teams down, the Wolves can't be confident in their ability to stop O'Neal when the Lakers visit Target Center tonight.

Even triple-teaming O'Neal rarely has worked.

So what about trying to stop, or contain, the Lakers' second-best threat ? guard Kobe Bryant?

"That's just as tough," Szczerbiak said. "He's a great player. He's going to get his points. That's why he's one of the top players in the league."

The Charlotte Hornets just might be the NBA's most enigmatic team: Better road record than the Sacramento Kings, worse home record than the Chicago Bulls. Go figure.

The Timberwolves had that in their favor, then, in their 97-92 victory over the Hornets on Monday night at the sparsely filled Charlotte Coliseum.

Yet the Wolves were a little puzzling, too, considering that they let the Hornets shoot 51.4 percent -- nearly 57 percent through three quarters. That was trouble, because Minnesota hardly ever wins when getting outshot. How hardly? Think 1-14 when that happens, at least until Monday.

So what was the difference this time? Rebounds. Rebounds. And still more rebounds.

Look at it this way: The Wolves dominated the boards, 47-28. Of the 40 available rebounds at the basket they were attacking, the Wolves grabbed 18. That's 45 percent, compared to a league average of 29 percent.

It was even more tilted at the other end. Of the 35 available rebounds at the basket the Wolves were defending, they claimed 29. That's 83 percent, when the league average is 71 percent.

North Carolina is basketball country the way Minnesota is a hockey state. So maybe it shouldn't be surprising that Charlotte is on the verge of losing the Hornets.The announced attendance for the Wolves' 97-92 victory on Monday was 11,222 and that was with the the Hornets offering dual promotions at reluctant fans: It was P.J. Brown bobblehead night (but only for the first 1,000 customers) and $29 seats were being offered on a two-for-one basis.

Remember how Wolves co-founder Marv Wolfenson got teased a number of years ago for nodding off during a game at the "Hive" and winding up on the video boards? These days, it's quiet enough to bring along a blankie and a teddy bear.

The Hornets entered Monday's game with a 226-152 record (.598) over the past five seasons, eighth best in the league and third best in the Eastern Conference. They have reached the playoffs in four of the past five seasons. Yet the current players are suffering from the lack of support, and it shows in their 11-17 home record.

Better make space at the top of the Midwest Division. Because the Timberwolves are climbing back there by making more space for themselves in the lane.

The reason the Wolves topped the Hornets 97-92 at Charlotte Coliseum Monday night is the same reason they pummeled San Antonio last Saturday to go 3-1 this road trip: Rebounding.

Not only did Minnesota beat up Charlotte 47-28 on the boards, but it was center Rasho Nesterovic's tip-back with 7.9 seconds left that halted the Hornets' late 8-2 run and sealed the victory. The Wolves also out-rebounded the taller Spurs 41-25. With 26 games left in the regular season, Minnesota (38-18) trails division-leading Dallas by one game.

"We rebound a lot because of our length,'' said Wolves coach Flip Saunders, who moved 7-foot-1 Kevin Garnett back to small forward this season to make his lineup taller. "Now, we're moving people out, too.''

Now that they have 6-10, 270-pound Marc Jackson, that is.