Wally Szczerbiak said it did not motivate him. Perhaps he did not want to start a personal feud. But if his play tonight was any indication, the taunting that Latrell Sprewell gave him last season inspired Szczerbiak.

Scoring on tip-ins, 3-pointers, pull-up jumpers, running jumpers, driving layups and free throws, Szczerbiak abused Sprewell and any other Knicks player unfortunate enough to draw his assignment. Szczerbiak scored a career-high 35 points to lead the Timberwolves (4-0) to a 104-94 victory at the Target Center. It sent the Knicks (1-3) to their worst start since they opened the 1987-88 season with a 1-3 record.

Szczerbiak, a Long Island native who graduated from Cold Spring Harbor High School, hit 14 of 19 shots. He matched his previous career high, 28 points, in the first half.