MINNEAPOLIS – Kevin Garnett began his quest to repeat as league MVP with 28 points and 20 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Knicks 99-93 in last night’s season opener for both teams.

Latrell Sprewell, whose complaints about his lack of a contract extension were the talk of the town this week, had 10 points against his former team. Sam Cassell added 19 points and 11 assists for the Timberwolves.

Stephon Marbury, also up against his old club, led the Knicks with 27 points. Jamal Crawford, in his first game with the Knicks since arriving from Chicago in a summer trade, capably filled Allan Houston’s spot in the starting lineup with 22 points on 10-for-23 shooting.

Seventeen of those came in the first half, though, and Crawford was silent when Minnesota’s defensive stopper, Trenton Hassell, guarded him in the fourth quarter.

Houston, who sat out the final 32 games of the regular season and the playoffs last season with chronic pain in his left knee, is on the injured list. He couldn’t remember the last time he couldn’t play in a season opener, including college and high school.

“It’s going to be hard, but it’s a long season,” Houston said following the team’s morning shoot around. “When those lights come on in May and June, that’s when I want to be out there.”

A free-flowing game came to a sloppy end: The Knicks went the final 7:57 without a field goal. Michael Sweetney’s dunk cut the lead to 88-86 – but that was as close as they came.

Marbury, whose dislike for sharing the spotlight with Garnett led to his trade in 1999, had a chance to pull New York within four at the foul line – but he missed one of two shots to leave the lead at 98-93 with 11.2 seconds remaining.

The Timberwolves, who moved into the new Northwest Division this season, are favorites to challenge for the NBA title, partly due to their depth and balance – and they were on display against the Knicks.

Someone was always there to pick up the scoring slack. Wally Szczerbiak had nine of his 12 points in the first quarter. Garnett scored 10 straight points over the end of the first and beginning of the second. Fred Hoiberg hit a pair of 3-pointers off the bench before halftime, and Cassell contributed six of the last 11 points of the first half to give his team a 58-51 lead.

Sprewell made back-to-back 3s early in the third to make it 69-59 Minnesota, and Troy Hudson did the same late in the third and early in the fourth to give the Timberwolves a five-point cushion after Marbury cut the lead to 81-79 with a 3 of his own.

The Wolves have won 10 straight home openers. The Knicks have dropped six of their last seven against Minnesota.