Allen Iverson 41pts vs Kevin Garnett the Timberwolves 02/03 NBA *AI 51st 40+ game

Allen Iverson wouldn't let the Minnesota Timberwolves build on Tuesday night's victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Iverson scored a season-high 41 points, reaching the 40-point plateau for the 51st time, to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 99-94 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday night.

Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 16 rebounds, Rasho Nesterovic scored 19 and Rod Strickland added 15 for Minnesota, which had won three of four, including an 18-point victory over the three-time defending champion Lakers.

"We knew they'd have a lot of confidence after beating the Lakers handily," Iverson said. "t doesn't matter that the Lakers are struggling. They're still the Lakers. We wanted to jump on them early."

Eric Snow added 13 points and Greg Buckner had 11 for the Sixers, who have won two straight after losing five in a row. Philadelphia (17-9) moved a half-game ahead of New Jersey and Boston in the Atlantic Division.

Iverson, who shot just 37.2 percent (42-for-113) in his previous five games, hit 10 of his first 15 shots and scored 26 in the first half to help the Sixers build a 19-point halftime lead. He finished 14-for-29 from the field, 11-for-16 from the foul line.

"My shot felt good tonight, even when I missed I thought it was going in," Iverson said. "I got the ball in a good spot and got into a rhythm. My teammates were looking for me, they understood I was hot and they gave me the ball."

The Timberwolves pulled to 67-64 after a 13-0 run in the third quarter. But Iverson made two free throws and a 3-pointer to put Philadelphia ahead 72-64.

After Minnesota again cut the deficit to three, 73-70, Derrick Coleman made three free throws for a 76-70 lead after three quarters.

The Timberwolves didn't get closer than five the rest of the game.

"We didn't play with any energy at the start," Minnesota coach Flip Saunders said. "Iverson kept making shots. He kept getting the ball at the top where he's really tough to defend."

Philadelphia outscored Minnesota 17-4 over a six-minute stretch in the second quarter to build a 46-28 lead. The Sixers scored 12 straight to start the run. Iverson began it with a 14-footer and ended it with a long jumper.

"We weren't as aggressive as we should have been on defense and on offense, it seemed we were rushing," Strickland said.

Iverson wore an Atlanta Hawks retro jersey bearing Dominique Wilkins' name and number to the post-game news conference. He created quite a stir in Philadelphia after wearing a Bill Russell Boston Celtics jersey after Monday night's win over Denver.

"It was silly to talk about," Iverson said. "It wasn't about the Celtics. I hate the Celtics and everybody knows that. I respect great players. Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Dominique, these are guys who paved the way for us, gave us the vision."

Game notes
The Sixers, Nuggets and Rockets agreed to a three-way trade that sends Kenny Thomas to Philadelphia, James Posey to Houston, and Mark Bryant and Art Long to Denver. Bryant and Long were little-used reserves for the Sixers. Thomas was averaging 9.9 points and 6.9 rebounds for Houston. ... Garnett recorded his league-leading 22nd double-double. ... Timberwolves swingman Wally Szczerbiak missed his 15th consecutive game with a sprained toe. ... Keith Van Horn fouled out with 4:57 left. He had just four points with 10 rebounds. ... Philadelphia is 34-17, including playoffs, when Iverson scores 40 or more points.