By Jerry Zgoda
McClatchy News Services
MINNEAPOLIS — Randy Foye and Craig Smith missed their second consecutive game Tuesday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ anticlimatic 108-88 home loss to Dallas that came three months after they miraculously blew a 29-point lead to the Mavericks.
The two players’ absence bequeathed the late-season stage to teammate Rodney Carney, whose season-long audition with the Wolves now has only seven games remaining.
Carney, on whom the Wolves took a flyer in last summer’s salary-cap bookkeeping trade with Philadelphia, becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1. He has impressed at times with his athleticism, defense and
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3-point shooting, and has made it clear he feels like he has found a home in Minnesota in his third NBA season.
Whether that feeling is mutual remains to be seen.
"I’d rather stay here than anywhere else," he said on a night when the Wolves trailed by 20 points before halftime and by as many as 26 after it. "I feel comfortable here. They’ve made me feel welcome. I like them, especially Mac (coach Kevin McHale).."
Carney started Tuesday, played a team-high 40 minutes and delivered 14 points (on 5-for-15 shooting) and a career-high nine rebounds in a performance that displayed the kind of athleticism his team otherwise lacks.
Upgrading that area is one of the team’s top offseason priorities, but they’ll have other options to do so: As many as four first-round picks in the June draft, a bit of salary-cap space and Corey Brewer is expected to return from a season-ending knee injury as well.
MAVERICKS 108, WOLVES 88
DALLAS (108)
Howard 6-12 2-2 14, Nowitzki 11-19 1-1 23, Dampier 2-3 0-2 4, Kidd 3-6 0-0 8, Wright 4-6 0-0 10, Terry 9-15 0-0 21, Singleton 4-6 3-3 11, Barea 4-7 0-0 9, Bass 3-5 2-3 8, Carroll 0-2 0-0 0, Green 0-1 0-0 0, Hollins 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 46-83 8-11 108.
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MINNESOTA (88)
Carney 5-15 2-3 14, Gomes 7-16 1-1 15, Love 9-17 5-6 23, Ollie 2-4 2-2 6, Miller 4-9 6-6 15, Telfair 2-9 0-0 5, Cardinal 2-9 2-2 6, Madsen 0-0 0-0 0, Brown 2-4 0-0 4, Collins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-83 18-20 88.
Dallas 36 25 24 23 — 108
Minnesota 21 26 22 19 — 88
3-Point Goals — Dallas 8-16 (Terry 3-5, Wright 2-2, Kidd 2-4, Barea 1-1, Nowitzki 0-1, Singleton 0-1, Howard 0-2), Minnesota 4-18 (Carney 2-8, Telfair 1-2, Miller 1-3, Love 0-1, Gomes 0-1, Cardinal 0-3). Fouled Out — None. Rebounds — Dallas 48 (Nowitzki 12), Minnesota 44 (Love 12). Assists — Dallas 25 (Kidd 13), Minnesota 25 (Miller, Telfair 6). Total Fouls — Dallas 18, Minnesota 14. A — 12,111 (19,356).
