MINNEAPOLIS – Latrell Sprewell took care of the shooting, and Kevin Garnett did the dirty work.

Sprewell scored 31 points, Garnett had his third career playoff triple-double and the Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 95-81 Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

The series shifts to Denver for the next two games, with Game 3 set for Saturday night.

Garnett didn’t have any great highlights, shooting just 9-for-27. But he finished with 20 points, 22 rebounds and 10 assists, and now has 42 rebounds in two games.

Voshon Lenard led the Nuggets with 24 points, but only nine came in the final three quarters. Rookie of the Year runner-up Carmelo Anthony continued his quiet postseason with 15 points, nine rebounds and 5-for-11 shooting.

The Timberwolves are halfway to winning their first playoff series, and Garnett, their perennial All-Star and MVP candidate, hasn’t led them in scoring in either game.

He’s been valuable, though, providing support for both of his new teammates in Sam Cassell, who had 40 points in Game 1, and Sprewell, who made seven 3-pointers in Wednesday’s win.

AP-ES-04-22-04 0027EDT