Michael Jordan's shots were falling short. His energy seemed to lag. His explosiveness in the second half at Target Center on Monday came in ultra-short waves.

But Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett didn't notice.

He said he couldn't afford to.

"Michael's so good you can't even think that he's wearing down, even when, in reality, he might be wearing down,'' Garnett said after his team topped the Wizards 105-101. "You've got to think, as a defender, this guy can score 11 straight at any time.''

So the Wolves -- particularly Garnett -- stuck with him. They put hands in his face. They got physical with him, bumping and picking and bumping some more.

The result: Jordan, 10 for 19 in the first half, was 2 for 15 in the second half.