CLEVELAND -Kevin Garnett and Marko Jaric made jumpers in the final minute, barely beating the shot clock both times, as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 89-85 for their first road win.

LeBron James scored a season-high 38 points, but the Cavs shot a season-low 32 percent and lost for the first time in seven games at home. Drew Gooden had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, which has dropped two straight following an eight-game winning streak.

Garnett scored 26 points and Troy Hudson 18.

James didn’t get much help from his teammates, as Larry Hughes (3-for-16), Donyell Marshall (0-for-9) and Damon Jones (0-for-6) combined to go 3-for-31 with 13 points – 23 below the trio’s average.

Still, the score was tied at 82 when Garnett took an inbounds pass with 2 seconds left on the 24-second clock and dropped a jumper over Gooden. Marshall misfired on Cleveland’s next possession, and Jaric made the Cavs pay by hitting a jumper from the corner with the clock shot expiring to make it 86-82 with 16 seconds left.

Jones missed again for Cleveland, and Hudson’s free throw made it 87-82 with 11 seconds to play. James hit a fallaway 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds remaining, but Hudson iced it with a pair of free throws.

Hughes, Jones and Marshall, signed as free agents for $98 million by the Cavs this summer to improve the club’s suspect outside shooting, went a combined 1-for-18 and scored just five points in the first half.

Hughes’ three-point play – his second field goal – put the Cavs ahead 65-60 late in the third. James, who during one stretch scored 15 of Cleveland’s 18 points, then punctuated an 11-point third quarter with a soaring dunk over Griffin.

James drove the lane, took off on the left side and delivered a vicious, right-handed slam over Griffin.

With his teammates struggling from the floor, James took it upon himself to carry the scoring load and had 19 points – nine on 3-pointers – in the first half.

Notes: The Cavaliers successfully stopped Seattle from using Brendan Malone, the club’s interim coach last season, as a consultant. Malone, whose son, Michael, is an assistant on Cleveland’s staff, is still under contract and being paid by the Cavs. The club agreed before the season to allow Malone to help Sonics coach Bob Weiss, but the Cavs felt Malone was acting more like an assistant coach – staying on the bench and running some practices. … Szczerbiak, a 90-percent free throw shooter, missed two straight in the second quarter. … Cleveland unveiled its secondary road uniforms, which were inspired by the club’s 1970 jerseys. The tops are accented with alternating panels of navy, wine and gold.

AP-ES-11-26-05 2222EST


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