Passion was not a problem for the Timberwolves on Thursday night. Kevin Garnett has 12 stitches on his head and a sore back to prove it.

Garnett scraped himself off the court after a nasty fall and came back for more, a touch of symbolism in what was a tumultuous 48 hours for the Wolves.

Two days after hitting rock bottom in their late-season slide, the Wolves picked themselves up off the floor and answered their critics with a rejuvenating 113-111 victory against the Dallas Mavericks in a wild affair before a sellout crowd of 19,668 at Target Center.