It was '70s night at Target Center on Saturday, and in the spirit of the understated fashions and musical tastes of that decade, let's remain reserved in our judgment and call what happened in this game simply the greatest upset in the history of sports.

Not only did the beleaguered, injury-worn, slumping Timberwolves beat one of the league's best teams, 100-93, they held the pop-a-shot Suns without a field goal for a 5:54 stretch of the third and fourth periods, and to their lowest point total this season.

Such unexpected defensive excellence resulted in a down-the-stretch duel between players representative of their teams: Old-school Al Jefferson, he of the dial-up post moves, and wireless Steve Nash, who passes the ball as if it's coated with anthrax.

On a night when Wolves broadcaster Billy McKinney dressed like Huggy Bear and the Sugar Hill Gang performed at halftime, something really unusual happened: The Wolves won, bringing the Target Center back to life.

This happened for two reasons: Coach Jerry Sichting, subbing for ailing Randy Wittman, started five guys who care instead of five guys with dubious potential or pedigrees, and Jefferson played as if someone insulted his mama.

Big Al scored a career-high 32 points and grabbed a season-high 20 rebounds, becoming only the second player in franchise history to go 30-20. While Kevin Garnett, the other player to reach those milestones, sometimes faded from the basket and the big shots in the fourth quarter, Big Al demanded the ball, and even seized the last steal of the game.

As well as Garnett has played for a dominant Celtics team, and as badly as these Wolves have played most of the season, the Garnett deal remains sound because of Jefferson and the two first-round draft picks the Wolves received, and perhaps even point guard Sebastian Telfair, who might turn into a decent backup.

Saturday night, though, was all about fake afros and the authentic man in the middle, who said conversations with Wittman, convalescing after back surgery, helped him discern weaknesses in his game and in opponents' defenses. "I talk to Coach Witt just about every day," Jefferson said. "And I've been looking at film. Film don't lie."

Jefferson discovered that he was too slow to kick the ball out of double-teams -- or too slow to attack defenses before the double-team arrived. "I was scared to turn the ball over before," he said. "I hope he [Wittman] is proud of me now."

After the Suns ran out of time, Jefferson stood at the foul line near the Wolves' bench, thrust his fists into the air and hugged Marko Jaric. "I'm really excited," Jefferson said. "The last game, we should have won. It was really important to come out and win and give our fans what they want."

Jefferson scored the Wolves' last two points of the third period and all eight of their points from the beginning of the fourth quarter until Jaric hit a tough jumper with 2:57 remaining. Does Jefferson demand the ball in the fourth quarter? "Yeah," he said. "But my team does a good job of finding me and getting it to me, too."

It was fun stuff -- the undermanned Wolves pushing around the league's most entertaining team, and Big Al dueling Little Steve, who also scored eight consecutive points for the Suns in the fourth period.

Long after the game, Jefferson was still winded from all the sprinting, saying, "I'm paying for it right now."

More important, the Jefferson trade paid dividends Saturday night, on what might be the first of 30 consecutive '70s nights at Target Center.

Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon on AM-1500 KSTP. • jsouhan@startribune.com