Seattle ? It’s unlikely that Wally Szczerbiak will get back into the Minnesota Timberwolves’ starting lineup any time soon.
Especially if the sharp-shooting forward keeps playing this well coming off the bench.
Szczerbiak scored a season-high 34 points and Kevin Garnett added 24, leading Minnesota to a 112-107 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on Friday night.
Szczerbiak, moved to the bench five games ago by coach Flip Saunders, shot 11-for-19 and set a scoring record for a Wolves’ reserve in 39 minutes. He also had a season-high eight assists. His career best is 44 points.
“I’m trying to get used to it,” Szczerbiak said. “I still would love to start. I feel like I’m a starter in this league, but we’re trying something different with this team to try to spark us and it worked out tonight.”
Since Saunders moved Szczerbiak to the bench and Trenton Hassell, a better defensive player, into the starting lineup, the Wolves are 3-2.
Szczerbiak, who broke the 30-point barrier for the first time since the 2002-2003 season, said not starting was at first a blow to his ego.
“As long as I get my minutes and as long as the coach gets me involved in the game and I don’t just feel like I’m standing around out there, I don’t mind it,” he said.
The Sonics blamed themselves for Szczerbiak’s point spree.
“He had it going,” Seattle guard Antonio Daniels said. “Attacking the bucket, hitting jump shots, getting to the foul line. We didn’t do a good job containing him at all.”
Led by Szczerbiak, Minnesota’s reserves scored 72 points, a single-game franchise record.
With a 20-19 record, the Wolves have been disappointing this season after winning 58 games and reaching the Western Conference Finals last season.
“Anything that help us to win, I’m for it,” Garnett said.
Saunders has had to be a cheerleader in the locker room this season as well as a coach.
“I told our guys that over the last 10 days, we are starting to play better,” he said. “We are doing things better.”
Losers of eight of their previous nine road games, the Wolves handed the Sonics their second straight loss at home.
Latrell Sprewell played only 15 minutes and scored just two points because of a case of the flu, but Minnesota got a season-high 20 points from sub Troy Hudson, who made four 3-pointers.
The Wolves shot a season-best 50.1 percent (43-for-74).
Ray Allen led the Sonics with 25 points, but he struggled from the floor, shooting 7-of-23. Seattle’s Luke Ridnour had a career-high 19 points.
In the fourth quarter, Szczerbiak’s fast-break dunk with 7:28 to go gave the Wolves a 100-85 lead.
The Sonics closed to within 111-107 on a layup by Allen with 1:47 left, but those were their last points.
The Wolves scored the last three baskets of the third quarter, two by Szczerbiak, to take an 88-76 lead after the Sonics cut their deficit to six points on a goaltending call against Garnett on an attempt by Daniels.
Minnesota led by 11 at halftime and was ahead by 16 points in the second quarter.
