Sonics clip Wolves

SEATTLE (AP) -- When Brent Barry got tired of seeing his shots clanking off the rim, he rolled the tape.

Barry, who scored a career-high 31 points in the Seattle SuperSonics' 112-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night, said he made adjustments based on what he saw in videotape of recent games.

"I wasn't getting a wide enough base and following through on the shot. Early in the game tonight I had a couple of missed shots, so I went back and thought about that," he said.

Barry, who led the league in 3-point shooting last year at 47.6 percent (109-229) finished 5-for-8 from 3-point range and 10-of-15 overall.

He also had 10 assists for the Sonics (8-8), who won their third straight for the first time this season.

"Barry was hitting everything, and that three he chucked up there really broke our back," Minnesota's Wally Szczerbiak said of Barry's off-balance shot at the 24-second buzzer that put the Sonics up 90-82 with 6:30 left.

The score was never closer than six after that.

Gary Payton had 20 points and 13 assists for Seattle. Vin Baker, in his second game back after missing seven games with a knee injury, had 24 points and nine rebounds. Rashard Lewis added 15 points.

Garnett led the Timberwolves with 22 points. Terrell Brandon added 19 points and 12 assists, and Joe Smith grabbed 13 rebounds.

Barry shot just 5-for-16 from the field and 1-for-8 from 3-point range in Seattle's 99-88 victory over Indiana on Sunday. He said having a healthier Baker and Booth down low helped draw the Minnesota defense in.

"We're getting those big guys back and establishing a low post," he said. "The good teams in this league work from the inside out."

Booth has missed a total of seven games with a sprained ankle, and has had limited mobility when he has played.

"If Baker plays like that, and Booth plays big in the middle, they're going to be a team to contend with," Szczerbiak said.

Garnett, who was 4-for-4 from the field in the fourth quarter and 10-for-15 overall, said Minnesota must turn up its defensive intensity.

"You've got to defend in this league," he said. "Tomorrow, we've got to play some defense, or we'll be blown out of the gym."

The Timberwolves travel to Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Wednesday. Minnesota (10-3) remains a half game ahead of San Antonio for the Midwest Division lead.

Seattle climbed a notch farther from the cellar, to fifth in the seven-team Pacific Division. The Sonics are at .500 for the first time since they were 2-2 on Nov. 5.

"I thought it was a fantastic job by this team tonight, competing on both ends of the floor," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "We were aggressive, we were patient and we played solid defense. We didn't rebound the ball particularly well, but we didn't turn the ball over."

The Sonics were outrebounded 53-34, but they had only eight turnovers to Minnesota's 15.

Barry sparked a 19-8 Seattle run in the third quarter with two steals, three assists and 11 points, including three 3-pointers.

The Sonics led by as much as 15 early in the second quarter, but Minnesota used an 18-3 run to pull even at 40-40 with 5:15 left in the half.

Seattle led 53-50 at the half on Lewis' 3-pointer with three seconds left. Baker paced the Sonics with 15 points and eight rebounds in the half, while Gary Trent led Minnesota with 11, all in the second quarter.

Notes: The Sonics hold a 36-11 all-time lead over the Timberwolves, but Minnesota came in with victories in seven of their last 11 meetings, including three of four last season. ... Both Payton and Baker were on the trading block over the summer, and the teams reportedly discussed a deal that would have sent Payton to the Twin Cities for Terrell Brandon, Szczerbiak and Rasho Nesterovic. McMillan, who won't discuss trade specifics, has praised Payton's play and leadership early on. But he said he likes Szczerbiak's game. "He's tough, not afraid of contact. He finds a way to be effective without a lot of athletic ability."