MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ever since Minnesota traded him to Boston six years ago, Kevin Garnett has always come in and bullied his old team to devastating effect.

Garnett wasn’t in the building to save the Celtics on Monday night. Without him roaming the paint, Nikola Pekovic flattened the reeling Celtics.

Pekovic bruised and battered the overmatched Boston front line for 29 points to lead the Timberwolves to a 110-100 victory.

Andrei Kirilenko had 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Dante Cunningham scored 19 points off the bench for the Wolves, who delivered coach Rick Adelman his 998th career victory.

Avery Bradley scored 19 points for Boston, which was playing without Paul Pierce and Garnett. The Celtics, who are just 1.5 games ahead of eighth-place Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference playoff race, have lost seven of their last nine games.

This one snapped an 11- game winning streak against the Wolves, who beat Boston for the first time since Garnett was traded there in 2007.

Jeff Green had a quiet night with just 10 points and seven rebounds, while Jason Terry and Terrence Williams each scored 14 points for Boston, which was a step slow on the second night of a backto back.

After missing the game against Memphis on Saturday with a sprained left ankle, Pekovic jumped right back into the middle of things and forced the Celtics to throw double-teams at him in the post.

The Wolves outscored Boston 62-38 in the paint and Pekovic was a perfect 11 for 11 from the foul line.

It was the kind of commanding performance against an overmatched opponent that could earn the big fella a lot of money this summer.

Pierce did not make the trip because of personal reasons.