Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders probably didn’t take many chemistry classes at the University of Minnesota as a business administration major, but his latest lineup concoction got the job done Friday night.

Sunday, 28, 1999

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders probably didn’t take many chemistry classes at the University of Minnesota as a business administration major, but his latest lineup concoction got the job done Friday night.

With his team plagued by a recent rash of injuries, and leading scorer Kevin Garnett sitting on the bench with foul trouble, the third-year coach knew he had to get to a little creative with the Minnesota Timberwolves’ lineup.

The Timberwolves stars in a 100-93 win over the Miami Heat included a tag-team trio of centers and a reserve guard who spent Thursday fishing for catfish over a 1,000 miles from Minneapolis.

Friday’s new batch included Dean Garrett, Tom Hammonds, Bill Curley and the return of James ”Hollywood” Robinson.

Lately, Saunders has had a variety of fresh faces play when called upon. Against the Celtics a few days prior, it was the recently signed Dennis Scott, who inked a deal to remain with the club for the year Saturday.

”Tonight we had one starter that was starting three weeks ago,” Saunders said. ”And to play against a team like Miami, everyone had to step up.”

Joe Smith missed the game with a rib injury sustained Wednesday against Boston, while Garnett played just 30 minutes because of foul trouble.

Saunders said Garrett, the starting center for the Wolves’ first 26 games, played his best game of the season in only his second time off the bench. Garrett had 13 points, including two free throws with 34.1 seconds remaining to give Minnesota (16-12) a 95-91 lead.

Garrett stood to lose the most when Minnesota traded Stephon Marbury to New Jersey on March 11. The third-year center often found himself on the receiving end of the point guard’s assists. Since the trade, Garrett had struggled, averaging less than four points per game, and Saunders thought bringing him off the bench might give him some more confidence.

”Steph knew where to get me the ball,” Garrett said. ”And it has been hard on me with him gone. I know I haven’t been playing great. But it’s the team first. I’ll contribute however I can.”

And with Joe Smith out with separated ribs and Kevin Garnett limited to 30 minutes because of foul trouble, Garrett’s effort against Miami center Alonzo Mourning was crucial.