Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- In his first start of the season for the Los Angeles Clippers, Tremaine Fowlkes had the difficult assignment of guarding five-time All-Star Kevin Garnett.
Fowlkes who missed 11 of the Clippers' first 17 games because of a sprained right knee, limited Garnett to five points and three rebounds in the second half of the Clippers' 104-88 victory over Minnesota on Saturday. Fowlkes scored a career-high 15 points in 28 minutes.
Fowlkes, a second-year forward from Fresno State, started 17 games as a rookie last season after being signed in February -- becoming the first player from the National Basketball Developmental League ever to start an NBA game.
"I'd give myself a 'B', but the most important thing is that we came away with a 'W'," Fowlkes said. "You just have to be prepared mentally when you're coming off the IR, and I have no problem with that."
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Garnett finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds as the Timberwolves lost to a team with a losing record for the first time in seven games this season.
Garnett posted his league-leading 19th double-double with more than 31⁄2; minutes still left in the second quarter, finishing the first half with 14 points and 11 rebounds. But he did not get a point or rebound during his eight minutes on the floor in the third quarter.
