MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Timberwolves point guard Sam Cassell could miss Friday night's game against Golden State.

Cassell didn't suit up for Wednesday night's 81-68 victory over the New Jersey Nets because of tendinitis in his left ankle. A decision about his status for the Warriors game will be made right before tipoff.

Cassell, averaging 21.2 points and 7.7 assists, got treatment Thursday and went through a light workout.

Troy Hudson scored a season-high 29 points Wednesday in place of Cassell, who has been bothered by soreness for the last few days. It was the first time Cassell missed a game this season.

Minnesota is 42-16 and in first place in the Midwest Division.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Sam Cassell, the Minnesota Timberwolves' All-Star point guard, did not dress for Wednesday night's game against the streaking New Jersey Nets because of tendinitis in his left ankle.

Cassell, averaging 21.2 points and 7.7 assists, participated in the pre-game shootaround but was held out of the game against the Nets, who entered with a 14-game winning streak.

Troy Hudson started in place of Cassell, who has been bothered by soreness for the last few days. It was the first time all season that Cassell missed a game.

Cassell (21.2 points per game), Kevin Garnett (24.7) and Latrell Sprewell (18) are the NBA's highest-scoring trio, averaging a combined 63.9 points per game.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Minnesota Timberwolves activated center Michael Olowokandi from the injured list Friday after he missed 35 games with a right knee injury.

Guard Darrick Martin, whose second 10-day contract expired Friday, was released to make room for Olowokandi.

Olowokandi, who was recovering from right knee surgery, averaged 6.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks a game in his first 15 games with the Wolves.

The five-year veteran missed the entire preseason while recovering from offseason surgery on his left knee.

The Timberwolves are close to being healthy. Wally Szczerbiak was activated from the injured list before Thursday's game against Sacramento, and he scored six points in a 16-minute season debut.

Szczerbiak had a sore left foot caused by a plantar fascia strain. Guard Troy Hudson, who missed 44 games with a sprained right ankle, returned Tuesday against Phoenix.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Wally Szczerbiak was activated from the injured list before Thursday night's game against Sacramento.

Szczerbiak hasn't played this season because of a strained left foot.

Coach Flip Saunders planned to give Szczerbiak about 15 minutes of playing time. An All-Star in 2002 who has been Minnesota's second-leading scorer each of the last two seasons, Szczerbiak also missed 30 games in 2002-03 with a dislocated left big toe.

The Timberwolves cleared space for Szczerbiak by placing rookie forward Ndudi Ebi on the injured list. He has tendinitis in his right knee.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Minnesota Timberwolves guard Troy Hudson, making his third comeback attempt of the season, played Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns.

He was playing for the first time since reaggravating the injury to his right ankle on Jan. 28, at Golden State.

Hudson initially hurt his ankle in Minnesota's preseason finale on Oct. 23, when he landed on an opposing player's foot while taking a jumper.

He missed the first 25 games before returning on Dec. 20, and reinjured himself three days later. He missed the next 11 games before returning again on Jan. 19, this time for six games.

Hudson, who averaged career highs in scoring (14.2), assists (5.7) and minutes (32.9) in a starting role last season, was playing in just his ninth game on Tuesday.

LOS ANGELES (AP) At 34, he finally made his first NBA All-Star squad.

Sam Cassell has been one of the league's more consistent performers for more than a decade, but it took him 11 years to get All-Star recognition.

``I don't know why. I'm not a bad guy,'' Cassell said, laughing and shaking his head. ``Looking at stats, and my team winning, I thought it was all there for me.''

Cassell, a reserve on the Western Conference squad, is averaging a career-high 21 points and 7.8 assists in his first season with Minnesota.

Even more importantly for the Timberwolves, he has provided stability and leadership for the team's banged-up backcourt, and Minnesota's 37-15 record is its best ever at the All-Star break.

``I'm very, very excited to see Sam finally getting the recognition he deserves,'' said Timberwolves _ and All-Star _ teammate Kevin Garnett. ``He's done a great job, and I think he's being rejuvenated a little bit by the All-Star recognition.''

Garnett smiled and added, ``Of course, he'd deny that.''

Whatever the case, Cassell certainly seemed to be having a good time Friday afternoon as he held court with reporters at his designated table, just a few feet from where Garnett was sitting and answering questions.

Talking about playing with Garnett, Cassell said, ``A guy like Kevin Garnett is like Advil; he relieves the pressure.''

Cassell is the second-oldest first-time All-Star in NBA history, one month younger than New York's Sweetwater Clifton in 1957.

``It's amazing, everything that I expected,'' Cassell said. ``Some of the guys I battle with night in and night out, I can be friends with for a while.

``Afterward, I won't like them again.''

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BIG MEN:@ Asked if Shaquille O'Neal is the most physical player he's gone up against so far, Houston's Yao Ming nodded.

Then he smiled and added, through an interpreter, ``And I don't think there will be anyone more physical than him afterward, either.''

Yao finished ahead of O'Neal in the fans' All-Star balloting for the second consecutive year, so will start for the Western Conference.

___

GIMME MY TROPHY:@ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made a record 18 NBA All-Star appearances, but the five-time regular-season MVP never won that honor in the All-Star game.

His most memorable All-Star outing, he said, is the ``one where they wouldn't give me the MVP'' in 1971, when he was still Lew Alcindor and played for Milwaukee.

He scored 19 points, including a 5-foot jumper and free throw with 48 seconds remaining to give the West a 108-107 victory in that game, and also had 14 rebounds.

Seattle's Lenny Wilkens, who scored a a game-high 21 points, was the MVP.

``They voted for the MVP at halftime, and I definitely won it in the second half,'' Abdul-Jabbar recalled. ``Then the writers came over and said they were sorry. But that was the worst.

``Lenny Wilkens had a great first half, but the game was really decided in the second half. Jerry West and I took over the game in the last two minutes and I scored six or seven points and we won it.''

Abdul-Jabbar grinned and added, ``I told somebody that now that Lenny's coaching again, I'm going to go to his house and steal the MVP trophy.''

___

STAYING EMPLOYED:@ The Lakers' Derek Fisher would prefer that Kobe Bryant _ and Shaquille O'Neal _ hang around Los Angeles for at least a few more years.

``My job security depends a lot on those two guys,'' Fisher said.

___

KIDS' DAY:@ Shaquille O'Neal showed up at the media session Friday with 3-year-old daughter Aimirah.

At first, she happily munched a cookie, then took off her shoe. Soon, she poked a curious finger into the fuzzy microphones stuck in her father's face. She undid a pin that secured bunting to the table before O'Neal took it away from her.

When Aimirah climbed into O'Neal's lap and started babbling, he shushed her with a smile. She had O'Neal and reporters laughing when she grabbed his lips with her tiny hands and squeezed them together, then covered his face with her hands.

T.J. Kidd is a preschooler, too, but worlds apart in media savvy. The son of New Jersey's Jason Kidd wore a black headband and mugged for the TV cameras at the slightest provocation.

___

STAR SIGHTINGS:@ Celebrities came out to see rookies LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony team up in the rookie game Friday night.

Rapper Jay-Z, actress-director Penny Marshall, former Miami Heat coach Pat Riley, New Orleans guard Baron Davis, Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell were among those in the crowd. Lakers teammates Shaquille O'Neal and Rick Fox each brought one of their kids.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Minnesota Timberwolves have the best record at the All-Star break in the franchise's 15-year history.

They've been trying hard to temper any standings-related enthusiasm, remembering well the Timberwolves teams of the past that turned shiny midseason marks into first-round playoff losses _ including the last seven straight.

It's hard for Minnesota (37-15), however, to hide its excitement about the expected addition of three quality players for some portion of the season's final 30 games.

Swingman Wally Szczerbiak (sore left foot) has not played this season, guard Troy Hudson (severely sprained right ankle) has appeared in eight games, and center Michael Olowokandi (recovering from arthroscopic right knee surgery) in 15.

``They give us a better team,'' guard Fred Hoiberg said. ``They're going to help us, no doubt, get further in the playoffs. I'm excited about these guys coming back. I'm not worried about my role.''

Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell are the highest-scoring trio in the league, and bit players like Hoiberg, Trenton Hassell, Gary Trent, Mark Madsen, Oliver Miller and Ervin Johnson have been an important part of the Wolves' success.

The key for coach Flip Saunders in the second half will be finding a way to incorporate the injured guys, assuming they heal on schedule, into the rotation with minimal disruption. Szczerbiak is due back first, possibly next week.

``Different guys bring different things to the table,'' Johnson said. ``You've just got to be ready when your name is called and help the team out.''

The Wolves, who have the NBA's third-best record and lead San Antonio by 2{ games in the Midwest Division, do have some other things to clean up.

``We've just got to have that energy and that edge on the defensive end, because we know we can score points,'' Garnett said. ``It's our consistency on the defensive end that worries us.''

Though they rank ninth in the league in scoring defense, the Wolves are prone to lapses. They've also been stung by slow starts.

``We need to come back and refocus these last 30 games,'' Trent said. ``Make sure we start playing playoff basketball. We have been winning so many games that are close that we get a little sloppy on some of our things.''

With contributions from the Szczerbiak-Hudson-Olowokandi trio nonexistent, the Wolves have relied heavily on Garnett, Cassell and Sprewell.

Garnett, 27, has not had any problems, but there are concerns about Cassell, 34, and Sprewell, 33, wearing down. Cassell is averaging 36.6 minutes per game while nursing a sore elbow, and Sprewell is at 38.9.

So with Saunders and his staff headed to Los Angeles to coach the Western Conference squad, Garnett and Cassell on their way to play in the All-Star game, and Sprewell headed there to hang out, there is concern whether Minnesota's leading men will get the rest they need during the break.

Saunders, however, isn't worried.

``K.G., he spends most of his time in the hotel room anyway,'' Saunders said. ``They'll still have the mental break, which is just as important as the physical.''

Saunders is quick to remind, too, that he is in charge this weekend _ as opposed to some rival coach who might be deviously drooling at the chance to run 'em ragged.

``I will have a say in how many minutes they play,'' Saunders said.

Lawrence Frank found yet another way to guide the New Jersey Nets to victory.

To improve to 8-0 as a head coach, Frank used a red-faced tirade to get the Nets going after they fell behind by 13 points in the first quarter of an 89-78 win over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night for their ninth straight win overall.

``That's probably the most angry I've seen him,'' starting center Aaron Williams said. ``You have to do that sometimes. We weren't playing the way we were supposed to play. That's his job.''

Frank yelled at the Nets after the first quarter, when they had their largest deficit since the 33-year-old coach replaced Byron Scott more than two weeks ago.

Frank's 8-0 start is tied for the second-best in NBA history with Pistons coach Larry Brown. It's one shy of the mark for best coaching start shared by Kurt Rambis (Los Angeles Lakers, 1998-99) and Buddy Jeannette (Baltimore Bullets, 1947-48).

``He doesn't care about that,'' said Jason Kidd, who had 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. ``He wants to win. He doesn't care about going undefeated. He wants to win every time we go on the floor.''

In other NBA games, it was: L.A. Lakers 98, Miami 83; Sacramento 124, Milwaukee 117; Minnesota 96, L.A. Clippers 84; Indiana 103, Chicago 84; Dallas 105, New York 90; Utah 86, Portland 81; Toronto 101, Phoenix 94; and Golden State 106, Seattle 97.

The Nets finally got some stops on defense and got their transition game going midway through the second quarter. New Jersey closed the quarter with a 14-0 run and took a 46-42 lead. Detroit missed its final 10 shots.

Richard Jefferson, who had 27 points and 10 rebounds, was outstanding in the run. He scored eight points and ignited the run with an alley-oop lay-in from a pass from Keynon Martin that might have been offensive goaltending.

Martin had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Kerry Kittles added 17 points as the Nets posted their ninth straight double-digit win and sent the Pistons to their fourth straight loss.

``We're just flat-out not getting it done,'' said Pistons All-Star Ben Wallace, who had 13 points and 12 rebounds. ``We came out in the first quarter and played pretty decent. After that, everything was downhill.''

Chauncey Billups had 23 points and Richard Hamilton added 19 for Detroit.

Lakers 98, Heat 83

At Miami, Shaquille O'Neal had 25 points and reserve Derek Fisher scored eight of his season-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, helping Los Angeles post consecutive wins for the first time since mid-January.

Dwyane Wade had 19 points for Miami, which dropped its fifth straight.

The Lakers were again without All-Star guard Kobe Bryant, who missed his seventh game because of a lacerated right index finger.

Timberwolves 96, Clippers 84

At Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett had 14 points and nine rebounds in the first quarter and finished with 31 points and 16 rebounds to lead Minnesota.

Gary Trent scored 15 points, Sam Cassell, who went scoreless until making back-to-back jumpers midway through the third quarter, had eight points and 12 assists.

Corey Maggette had a season-high 34 points for the Clippers, who lost their third straight.

Kings 124, Bucks 117

At Milwaukee, Peja Stojakovic scored 31 points and sank all four of his free throws in the final 20 seconds to help Sacramento hold off the Bucks.

Mike Bibby scored 24 points, and Brad Miller 21 for the Kings. Desmond Mason and Toni Kukoc each scored 21 off the bench for Milwaukee.

Mavericks 105, Knicks 90

At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points and 12 rebounds, and Michael Finley added 25 points and 10 rebounds for the surging Mavericks, who stopped New York's season-high five-game winning streak.

Rookie Josh Howard had 17 points, eight rebounds and four steals for the Dallas, which won for the 13th time 16 games.

For the Knicks, Stephon Marbury had 24 points and 11 assists, and Keith Van Horn added 20 points and nine rebounds.

Pacers 103, Bulls 84

At Chicago, Ron Artest scored 26 points against his former team and Indiana rolled to its league-high 39th win.

Jermaine O'Neal added 16 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana, which doesn't play again before this weekend's All-Star game.

Chicago, coming off a 1-6 road trip, got its fifth straight game of 20 points or more from Eddy Curry, who finished with 23.

Jazz 86, Trail Blazers 81

At Portland, Ore., Carlos Arroyo scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and Utah held off Portland in the Trail Blazers' first game since trading forward Rasheed Wallace, who was traded to Atlanta Monday night.

Andrei Kirilenko added 20 points and eight rebounds for the Jazz, who won their second straight after a four-game losing streak.

Derek Anderson led the Blazers with 21 points, while Darius Miles had 19.

Warriors 106, SuperSonics 97

At Seattle, Jason Richardson had 22 points and Brian Cardinal added 20, and Golden State rebounded from an NBA record-tying two-point quarter two days ago with its sixth road win of the season.

Clifford Robinson had 18 points, Speedy Claxton added 17 and Erick Dampier pulled down 12 rebounds for Golden State.

Rashard Lewis led the Sonics with 20 points.

Raptors 101, Suns 94

At Phoenix, Vince Carter scored 22 of his 29 points in the second half and Morris Peterson matched his career high with seven 3-pointers to lead Toronto.

Peterson was 7-for-11 from 3-point range for a season-high 27 points.

Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points and Joe Johnson 19 for the Suns, who have lost four in a row _ all at home _ and 10 of 12.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Phil Saunders is the only coach in NBA history to lose seven consecutive first-round playoff series.

Not a flattering fact, but there's always a Flip side to consider.

Saunders has guided the Minnesota Timberwolves to first place in the Midwest Division and one of the league's top three records as the midseason break approaches.

``Everyone talks about the first round,'' Saunders said. ``We've got 10 new guys. They don't worry about that. Our goal is to win a championship.''

The man known by his nickname, Flip, will coach the Western Conference squad next weekend in the All-Star game, and his staff will accompany him to Los Angeles for the showcase event.

``I'm real joyous for those guys,'' said Kevin Garnett, who has shared all of his victories and defeats with Saunders _ a strong candidate for coach of the year.

``Flip's done a really good job,'' said vice president Kevin McHale, who hired Saunders in 1995. ``I think sometimes the biggest challenge is trying to find enough players to fit out there.''

Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell were acquired in summer trades, and several useful role players (Mark Madsen, Fred Hoiberg, Ervin Johnson, Trenton Hassell and Oliver Miller) were added in recent months.

Garnett, Cassell and Sprewell give the Wolves their best nucleus since Garnett, Stephon Marbury and Tom Gugliotta in 1996-97 _ Saunders' first full season and Minnesota's first appearance in the playoffs.

The Timberwolves, though, never shed their up-and-coming status.

Marbury forced a trade, Gugliotta left as a free agent, Malik Sealy died in car accident and NBA commissioner David Stern harshly penalized them for illegally signing Joe Smith to a long-term contract.

Garnett was always good enough to get them in the playoffs, but the incomplete search for a solid supporting cast kept Minnesota from making a serious run in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. As the postseason losses piled up, some people suggested McHale or Saunders _ friends from their playing days at the University of Minnesota _ should be replaced.

Still, owner Glen Taylor extended Saunders' contract through the 2005-06 season when the Portland Trail Blazers wooed him in June 2001. That commitment seems to be paying off.

Saunders' motion system _ based on getting multiple players frequent touches and exploiting mismatches _ has helped a group of divergent personalities and emotional players function harmoniously. That's with three of the Wolves' top six players, Wally Szczerbiak, Troy Hudson and Michael Olowokandi, rendered useless because of injury.

``How many players are new in Minnesota? ... But they fit his system,'' Golden State coach Eric Musselman said. ``They're consistent. They've got their playbook. Different parts, different pieces.''

After a 9-8 start, Saunders implored his team to stop worrying.

``When he brought everyone together and said, 'Just go out and do what you do,' that's when Sam started playing great, that's when Spree started playing great and we started clicking,'' Hoiberg said. ``Flip really got everyone on the right page.''

A star point guard for the Gophers in the early 1970s, Saunders is considered one of the league's finest offensive minds.

Musselman, then a 24-year-old general manager in the Continental Basketball Association, actually hired Saunders to coach the Rapid City (S.D.) Thrillers in 1988-89. Saunders spent seven seasons in the CBA, winning titles in 1989-90 and 1991-92 with the La Crosse (Wis.) Catbirds.

Enduring the budget motels, paltry per diems and constantly changing rosters, Saunders developed his system and gained valuable experience in the CBA _ just as Phil Jackson and George Karl did.

``You have to wait until someone gives you an opportunity,'' Saunders said.

Don Zierden, a Timberwolves assistant who has coached with Saunders at several stops, recalled a game day ritual in which they would head to a La Crosse steakhouse after the morning shootaround.

``My job was to buy a Minneapolis and a St. Paul paper,'' Zierden said. ``We'd open it up, and we'd read about the Timberwolves, and he'd say, 'You know what? We're going to turn that thing around someday.'''

Though Saunders is a players' coach, one who wrote Western Conference colleagues to lobby All-Star votes for Cassell and Sprewell, he doesn't just roll the ball out and let them play.

Some of his players occasionally complain about a lack of communication about their roles.

``It's like anything,'' forward Gary Trent said, ``whether it's a boss-employer relationship, a husband-wife relationship or a parent-kid relationship. You need consistency.''

Saunders maintains that the best players will play.

``Basketball is played the same way in eighth grade as it is in the pros,'' McHale said. ``If you move the ball and your body with a purpose on offense, you protect the paint and rebound on defense, you're going to win an eighth-grade tournament, you're going to win a high school championship and you've got a chance to win an NBA championship.''

Lawrence Frank is within three victories of matching the best start by a coach in NBA history.

The New Jersey Nets improved to 6-0 under his watch, surpassing 100 points before the end of the third quarter in a 120-99 home victory over Orlando on Friday night.

``You have to give him credit,'' veteran guard Lucious Harris said. ``He has turned us around. He gave us a new focus. You have to give most of the credit to him. He has focused on small details every day, no matter how good we play.''

The six wins to start a coaching career are three shy of the NBA record shared by Kurt Rambis in 1998-99 with the Lakers and Buddy Jeannette with the Baltimore Bullets in 1947.

As he has done after each win, the 33-year-old Frank gave all the credit to his players.

``This is a very unique group,'' Frank said. ``Not to demean anyone else in the NBA, I would find it hard to find in any other locker room the type of character we have and the oneness in the sense of having one agenda _ winning.''

In other games, San Antonio defeated Sacramento 102-94, Minnesota downed Cleveland 103-92, Houston edged Chicago 82-80, Atlanta topped Boston 100-96, Portland defeated Utah 87-73, Seattle edged Phoenix 107-105, Golden State beat Denver 96-87, New Orleans defeated Detroit 92-81, Memphis downed Milwaukee 105-85, Indiana beat Toronto 83-77, and Washington topped the Los Angeles Clippers 112-100.

Jason Kidd had 18 points, 13 assists, six rebounds and a 3-pointer that cracked the 100-point mark at the end of third quarter.

The victory was the Nets' seventh straight; their sixth in a row since Frank took over the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions from Byron Scott less than two weeks ago.

The Nets' 120 points, 41 assists, 59.8 shooting percentage and 64 points in the paint were all season highs. The assist total was a league high, one more than Dallas had against New Orleans on Nov. 11.

Kerry Kittles made six of his first seven shots and scored 12 of his 17 points in the first quarter. Kenyon Martin had 18 points and 15 rebounds, Richard Jefferson added 15 points, and Aaron Williams had a season-high 17 after Jason Collins was injured.

Spurs 102, Kings 94

At Sacramento, Calif., Tim Duncan had 28 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks as the Spurs continued to be one of few teams to give the Kings trouble at home, defeating them at Arco Arena for the third straight time.

The defeat snapped a five-game winning streak for the Kings as the NBA's highest-scoring team was bothered all game by the league's top defensive team.

Timberwolves 103, Cavaliers 92

At Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett had 35 points and 12 rebounds, and Latrell Sprewell added 24 points, seven assists and had a hand in LeBron James' face most of the night. Minnesota won its 14th straight at home and is an NBA-best 26-6 since Dec. 1.

Rockets 82, Bulls 80

At Houston, Jim Jackson hit a difficult 22-foot jumper at the buzzer. Yao Ming led Houston with 22 points, followed by Jackson with 14.

``Losing like that, on a shot like that, is tough to swallow,'' Chicago's Jamal Crawford said.

Hawks 100, Celtics 96

At Boston, the Atlanta Hawks won consecutive games for the first time this season, getting 23 points from Shareef Adbur-Rahim and 22 from Stephen Jackson. It was the Celtics' sixth straight loss and fifth in a row under interim coach John Carroll.

Trail Blazers 87, Jazz 73

At Salt Lake City, Zach Randolph had 19 points and 14 rebounds to lead the surging Trail Blazers to their sixth victory in their last seven road games.

SuperSonics 107, Suns 105

At Phoenix, Rashard Lewis scored 23 points, taking a pass from Luke Ridnour for a layup with 2 seconds remaining for the game-winner. Ray Allen injured his shoulder and is day-to-day.

Warriors 96, Nuggets 87

At Oakland, Calif., Speedy Claxton scored 17 of his career-high 25 points in the fourth quarter to snap Denver's three-game winning streak.

Hornets 92, Pistons 81

At New Orleans, Jamal Mashburn scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to help the New Orleans Hornets snap a four-game losing streak.

Grizzlies 105, Bucks 85

At Memphis, Tenn., Pau Gasol had 27 points and 12 rebounds as the Grizzlies tied a franchise record for victories (28).

Pacers 83, Raptors 77

At Toronto, Ron Artest scored 27 points, Jermaine O'Neal added 20 and Al Harrington 19 in the Eastern Conference-leading Pacers' fourth win in five games.

Wizards 112, Clippers 110

At Washington, Gilbert Arenas scored 25 points, Jerry Stackhouse added 23 and the Wizards scored 25 of the game's first 28 points.