Magic 110, Timberwolves 107

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) In a performance worthy of an MVP, Tracy McGrady scored seven of his 30 points in the final 3:54 and outdueled Minnesota's Kevin Garnett to help the Orlando Magic defeat the Timberwolves 110-107 Thursday night.

The Magic, who have won six of seven, closed the game on a 13-3 run.

McGrady, who also had 10 assists, extended his streak of 30-point games to 12 despite being hounded by Garnett.

Garnett had 26 points and 14 rebounds for his 20th double-double in his last 21 games. Wally Szczerbiak added 22 points for Minnesota, which had won four straight.

McGrady's two free throws with 24.4 seconds remaining put Orlando up 106-104 - its first lead since 7-6 - and capped a run of nine straight points in a span of 2:10.

Garnett drew a foul on Minnesota's ensuing possession, but he missed one of two free throws. Darrell Armstrong then hit four foul shots in the final 15.6 seconds to seal the win. Armstrong also drew a charge from Garnett with 1:15 remaining to set up McGrady's go-ahead free throws.

Orlando (39-34) improved to a season-best five games over .500. The Magic also grabbed a half-game lead over idle Boston for the No. 6 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Pat Garrity added 18 points for the Magic, 12 coming on 3-pointers, while Armstrong had eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.

McGrady struggled early against Garnett's defense, missing six of eight shots in the first quarter while scoring just four points.

He fared better as the game went on, partly because he was more aggressive driving to the basket rather than settling for jumpers. But that also meant McGrady wasn't shooting 3s; he put it up only four times from beyond the arc, missing three until making one with 1:29 left that tied the game at 104.

Meanwhile, Garnett was almost unstoppable from inside and out, scoring 17 in the first half. The Magic had no answer for him in the paint, and he also drilled long jumpers with ease, making five of his last six tries in the half. Garnett also made all five of his foul shots.

Minnesota held a 60-51 halftime lead after shooting 55.8 percent. The Timberwolves also had 23 rebounds - Garnett with 11 - compared with 15 for Orlando.

Notes: Minnesota center Rasho Nesterovic missed his fifth straight game with a sprained ankle, but he is traveling with the team to Florida. Point guard Rod Strickland stayed home to continue treating his strained groin. ... Orlando power forward Drew Gooden's injured right big toe forced him to sit for the fifth consecutive game. ... The Magic's rally from 20 points down to beat New Orleans on Wednesday tied for the franchise's fourth-largest comeback. Orlando rallied from a 25-point hole to win at Cleveland on Nov. 8, 1989.