Nobody knows for sure whether the Utah Jazz's ageless wonders, Karl Malone and John Stockton, executed their final pick-and-roll at Target Center on Wednesday, but Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders said their legacy as teammates is already secure.

"I don't think you'll ever see two Hall of Fame players, drafted by the same team, staying together the whole time," he said. "They are just extremely competitive, and their passion for the game is why they keep doing it."

But for how much longer? Malone and Stockton have not said publicly whether this season, their 18th as NBA teammates, will be their last.

Considering their icy cold record against the Jazz this season, the Minnesota Timberwolves seemed due for a little wake-up call from their dreamy success of late.

Minnesota, after all, had won four straight prior to Wednesday night ? its last loss coming Feb. 17 at Utah. The Timberwolves had won 14 in a row at Target Center ? their last loss at home coming Jan. 4 to Utah. The Jazz also won the other game between the two at the Delta Center this season, sending them to Minneapolis this time in search of a series sweep.
     
So much for precedent.

Kevin Garnett saved his very best for last.

Garnett scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and added 17 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Utah Jazz 92-85 Wednesday night, averting a season sweep and extending their home winning streak to 15 games.

The Wolves won their fifth straight and their 11th in 12 games.

Kevin Garnett might be the MVP. Wally Szczerbiak looks like Mr. Clutch. Troy Hudson pilots it all as though flying a 747.
   
But when the Timberwolves needed a big play on Wednesday, Rasho Nesterovic was the one who provided it.
   
Nesterovic is the largest player in Minnesota's lineup yet the easiest to overlook, so it is fitting that he made a small contribution that produced big results. With less than a minute to play, the Slovenian center grabbed a long rebound of an Anthony Peeler miss, and the Wolves' better-known superstars turned that offensive rebound into the game-winning points, handing the Jazz a 92-85 loss in the Target Center.

If Karl Malone hadn't spent his entire Hall of Fame-worthy career with the Utah Jazz, he would have been a natural for the Timberwolves.

Given his love of the outdoors, flannel shirts, ball caps and open roads, the Jazz's chiseled, no-nonsense power forward might have fit comfortably into the Minnesota lifestyle.

Of course, the Wolves weren't even a glimmer in Marv Wolfenson's and Harvey Ratner's eyes when Malone was drafted No. 13 in 1985 -- after Benoit Benjamin, Jon Koncak, Ed Pinckney and Kenny Green, among others -- out of Louisiana Tech. Now, almost 18 years later, the native of Summerfield, La., has scored more points in the NBA than any player except Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Malone has won two Most Valuable Player awards, has been an All-Star 14 times, helped the Jazz to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998 and, six years ago, was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.

Irv Moss writes about the Nuggets and last nights loss to Minnesota.

Denver takes on Minnesota tonight @ 7pm.  The game will be on Fox Sports and AM 950.

The more banged up Karl Malone gets, the better he seems to play.

A root canal last month kept him out of a couple practices, but he never missed a game. Same with the ankle he sprained just before the All-Star break, which still bothers him, and the broken nose he suffered last week.

Kevin Garnett went off Monday night, putting up 34 points on the Jazz. And the blame belongs to Greg Ostertag.
   
No, wrong word. The credit belongs to Ostertag.
   
Garnett got his points, but the Jazz center made him work for them, forcing the All-Star game MVP outside and limiting the damage. Doing so allowed Karl Malone, Matt Harpring and John Stockton to haul the Jazz back from a 10-point second-half deficit and end Minnesota's six-game winning streak with a 109-97 victory in the Delta Center.
   
One night after scoring 37 against the Warriors, Garnett easily netted 13 points in the first quarter and seemed set to extend the Timberwolves' lead over the Jazz to 2 1/2 games all by himself. With Garnett ruling the paint, Minnesota had 10 layups in the first half and the Wolves led 55-49 at halftime.