http://www.startribune.com/511/story/979471.html The better the quality of their competition, the better the Timberwolves seem to play. And inevitably, or so it has gone this season, the worse their opponents might be, the worse the Wolves look. The confounding pattern -- beat Detroit, swoon to Atlanta, shock Phoenix, sputter against Sacramento -- has gone on too long to be a fluke or a series of coincidences. It was in effect Saturday night, too, with the Wolves giving the Dallas Mavericks and their fans at the sold-out American Airlines Center what might have been their biggest scare in nearly two months before losing 94-93. Down by 17 points midway through the third quarter, and after spending most of the second half trailing by about nine, the Wolves made a furious too-little, too-late comeback that fizzled in the final minute. Thus, the Mavericks were able to preserve and extend a home winning streak that began in early December and stands at 15 in a row now. The Wolves? They're 2-5 since Randy Wittman began working their sideline in place of Dwane Casey. They've lost three in a row and nine of their past 11. But they can't help feeling that, when some of these narrow misses start tipping the other way, a bunch of them will follow. "This is seven games that, we had a chance to win all seven," Wittman said. "We've got to somehow get over the top. If we can stay together through this, we can get this snowballing the other way." There have been some clunkers along the way, missteps against clubs that shouldn't have been so much trouble. But the Wolves (22-25) have been sticking, or getting, close, with Saturday night's finish as dramatic as any of them. With Kevin Garnett shaking off first-half foul trouble and getting hot late, the Wolves went on an 11-2 tear late in the fourth quarter, turning Dallas' 90-79 lead into 92-90 nervousness. They had the ball as the final minute began, and moved it well, finding rookie Randy Foye open on the perimeter. But his three-pointer bounced off. Devean George's miss at the other end sent the Wolves into a timeout with 35 seconds left. When they emerged, they were hoping to find Garnett inside in a mismatch with Josh Howard. Best-case scenario? The Mavericks would rush someone to help, Garnett would kick the ball out and his team would get another open look to tie or lead. But the Wolves never did find Garnett. Ricky Davis drove the right baseline, got grabbed in the lane and lost control. Garnett got his hands on the ball but he, too, got grabbed and lost it. There were no whistles. "I've got rip marks across my arm," Garnett said. Said Davis: "Late in the game, it's kind of tough making that call, so I'm not surprised." Dirk Nowitzki -- contained offensively as he rarely has been (5-for-14 for 18 points) wound up on the foul line and sank both to make it 94-90. Davis missed from 15 feet, Howard heaved the ball to the backcourt and Foye retrieved it, the Wolves' hopes ticking away. The rookie hit a three-pointer from 28 feet to make it a one-point game, but even at four, it was a better way to finish than fizzling by nine or 17. Howard and Jason Terry scored 22 each to lead Dallas, and the Mavericks (39-9) beat the Wolves up inside (rebounds and scoring) for most of the evening. Garnett ended up with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Davis scored 20. Dallas now has won 25 of its past 28 games and leads the season series 2-0. --

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