MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – This one was for KG.

Leon Powe made a layup at the buzzer to lift Kevin Garnett’s Boston Celtics to an 88-86 victory over the Timberwolves on Friday night in the All-Star’s emotional return to Minnesota.

It was a wild ending to a memorable night – even though the guy everyone came to see was unable to play because of an injury.

The Timberwolves had the ball with the scored tied 86-86 with 28 seconds left. Marko Jaric missed a 3-pointer and teammate Craig Smith rebounded the ball and tried to kick it back out.

But Ray Allen stepped in front and stole the pass and raced the other way with the clock ticking down. A frantic scramble under the basket ended with Powe putting back a miss just before the buzzer sounded.

The play was reviewed and confirmed that Powe, who had 16 points on 8-for-10 shooting and eight rebounds, just beat the horn.

Paul Pierce had 18 points and six assists and Allen scored 17 for the Celtics, who were playing their sixth straight game without Garnett, out with an abdominal strain.

Al Jefferson scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and Smith had 16 points, seven rebounds and that one costly turnover for the Wolves.

It was a heart-breaking loss for the young Timberwolves, who watched their home crowd give Garnett a rousing ovation before the game and desperately wanted to give them something else to cheer about.

Garnett was first injured against the Wolves in Boston two weeks ago, but this one had to be the toughest one yet for the intense star to miss.

For 12 years, Garnett served as the face of the franchise, lighting up the Twin Cities with his bright smile and breath-taking play. When the Timberwolves decided to rebuild this summer, they shipped the beloved KG to Boston for Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff and two first-round picks.

It’s been a trying year without No. 21 around, and the Target Center was a rare sellout on Friday night in anticipation of Garnett’s return.

Thousands were disappointed when was inactive, but the Wolves introduced him before the game to give the fans one more chance to cheer him.

In a stirring scene, Garnett waved sheepishly and smiled wide while thousands of fans wearing his Wolves No. 21 and Celtics No. 5 let him know just how much he was missed.

After about 2 minutes, he returned to the locker room to watch the game, and then the crowd got behind their young and improving team.

Clippers 102, Raptors 98

TORONTO – Corey Maggette matched his season-high with 35 points, Cuttino Mobley had 19 and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Toronto Raptors 102-98 on Friday night.

Al Thornton had 19 points and Chris Kaman had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who had lost 10 of their last 11 road games.

Mavericks 92, Grizzlies 81

DALLAS – Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points while also getting some rest and a lot of help in the Dallas Mavericks’ 92-81 victory Friday night over the Memphis Grizzlies, who played on the road for the first time without Pau Gasol.

Lakers 117, Magic 113

ORLANDO, Fla. – Kobe Bryant had 36 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and Pau Gasol scored 30 points, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a wild 117-113 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday night.

Derek Fisher added 14 points and seven assists for the Lakers, who gave up a season-high 44 points in the first quarter, but had enough defense at the end to win for the fourth time in the last five games.

Nets 104, Bobcats 90

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jason Kidd has his first triple-double since demanding a trade, Richard Jefferson scored 23 points and the New Jersey Nets turned in a rare strong performance in beating the Charlotte Bobcats 104-90 on Friday night.

Spurs 99, Knicks 93

NEW YORK – Michael Finley made the tying 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left in regulation and the San Antonio Spurs dominated overtime Friday night in a 99-93 victory over the New York Knicks, who matched a season high with their eighth straight loss.

Tim Duncan had 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs, who trailed by 18 points in the third quarter but barely broke a sweat in OT, scoring the first seven points. Finley finished with 17 points, tossing in another 3 in the extra period for a 95-88 lead against the dispirited Knicks, who misse