Garnett makes sure Celtics move to 6-0

Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune

Boston's Kendrick Perkins battled the Wolves' Ryan Hollins for position on Wednesday night.

The former Wolves star got the call on a late reach-in that sent his old team to another defeat.

By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Last update: November 5, 2009 - 7:19 AM

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BOSTON 92, WOLVES 90 Up next: 7 p.m. Friday vs. Milwaukee • Target Center • No TV (1130-AM)

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An audience announced at a near sellout arrived Wednesday night for Kevin Garnett's now-annual visit to Target Center and they exited grumbling about the same thing they had cheered for 12 seasons.

KG made the play and got the call.

Boston's last-heartbeat 92-90 victory over the Wolves delivered other things Wednesday night:

• Oleksiy Pecherov's career-high 24 points while matched up in a battle of will and skill against Garnett nearly all night.

• Rajon Rondo's dynamic third quarter that brought the Celtics back from a 10-point deficit and arrived two days after the point guard -- whom the Wolves sought in the 2007 trade that sent Garnett to Boston -- agreed to a new $55 million contract.

• Noise that echoed inside the arena all night, created both by many Celtics fans who wore green No. 5 Garnett jerseys and by Wolves fans surprised and delighted that the home team stayed in it until the very end.

Ultimately, though, those fans who didn't leave the arena green and giddy left remembering an official's call with 3.6 seconds left, when Garnett reached in as Wolves guard Corey Brewer drove for the tying basket and came away with his palm wrapped around the ball and a jump-ball call by referee David Jones.

Garnett yelped and flexed his muscles right in front of the front-row seats where both his wife and music producer Jimmy "Jam" Harris used to sit and celebrated a winning defensive stand from a Celtics team that won another NBA championship that way two seasons ago. This victory kept them undefeated this season at 6-0.

"We are a defensive team," Garnett said well after Al Jefferson's long, desperation shot at the buzzer was partially blocked. "Where we make our money -- what we call 'How we eat' -- is we play defense. And we had to."

The Celtics had to because Pecherov delivered an inspiration performance that left him pumping his fist and letting out warrior yells, just like Garnett often does. With five players on their way to double-figure scoring, the Wolves led 27-22 after a quarter, 49-41 at the half and were ahead 55-45 early in the third quarter before Rondo brought Boston back to tie the game by quarter's end.

In the fourth quarter, the Celtics made the plays championship teams make -- or at least just enough of them -- and the Wolves squandered just enough chances to walk away with a 1-4 record and their fourth loss in a row after shooting better than 50 percent (52) for the first time this season.

Afterward, Brewer stood with hands on hips at midcourt and glared at Jones because he thought Garnett had gotten more of his arm than the ball.

"I thought I got fouled, but I can't do nothing about it," Brewer said. "Referee made the call, so I guess it was a jump ball."

Starters Jefferson, Jonny Flynn and Ryan Gomes didn't score in the fourth quarter and the Wolves scored only twice in the final five minutes. Pecherov and Brewer each tried to carry the Wolves to victory with scoring attempts down the stretch that were as bold as they were out of control. Pecherov scored 10 of the Wolves' 18 points in the final quarter.

Wolves coach Kurt Rambis praised his team for its energy and offensive execution, admitted that some of those decisions in the final minutes left him "biting my lip" and was pleased that his players were stung by a victory that got away.

"It's very difficult for young teams to win close games," Rambis said. "They just don't have enough experience. That will come. I'm just proud they were there. They're frustrated. They're angry. They're ticked off. I like that.

"They should be mad. I'm happy they're mad."