Brent Barry could not miss, not even 25 feet from the hoop with a Timberwolf in his face and the shot clock winding down -- a situation portending the worst.

But this was his night, and Barry's fadeaway flip shot stopped Minnesota's final comeback and helped propel the Sonics to a 112-102 victory over the supposedly superior Timberwolves at KeyArena.

Now 8-8, the Sonics moved to .500 for the first time since Nov. 1, powered by a balanced attack with all five starters in double figures, led by Barry with a career-high 31 points.

There were other significant reasons why the Sonics managed to outplay a team that arrived with a 10-2 record: from Vin Baker's assertive performance in the paint, to solid post defense on Kevin Garnett.

The Sonics also committed just eight turnovers last night and caused the normally sure-handed Wolves to turn it over 15 times, six by Garnett.

Nate McMillan's team was both spectacular and fundamental, overcoming a 53-34 rebounding deficit to win convincingly.

Via

Oklahoma City

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