http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/16824483.htm As far as experiments go, this one was pretty much a big dud. Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman said after Thursday's practice he might change the rotations in search of a spark, so it wasn't a big surprise when new combinations of players hit the court late in the first quarter and early in the second Friday. But the new rotations backfired, and the Wolves fell behind big in the second quarter to Utah, which used a 19-2 run to take control of the game en route to a 109-83 victory at Target Center. The Wolves are mired in a 6-16 slump, which includes a 6-12 record under Wittman. The latest 26-point loss (the first was Tuesday night's game against Dallas) came with players not used to playing with one another. Troy Hudson, Craig Smith and Marko Jaric all played at least 17 minutes. The Wolves tried small lineups, too. Wittman tried to push the right buttons, but none of it worked as the Jazz shot 57.5 percent, a season high by a Wolves opponent. "Witt's in a tornado," Kevin Garnett said after the Wolves closed a five-game homestand 1-4. "He's inherited a jungle, if you will, trying to figure out combinations, and I think he's soul-searching for everybody." The ill effects showed most on defense, which was terrible. Utah made nine of 20 three-point attempts and also had success inside, winning the rebounding margin 39-25. Down 22-19 to start the second quarter, the Wolves had Garnett, Smith, Trenton Hassell, Jaric and Hudson on the court. But it was the unit of Randy Foye, Mark Blount, Jaric, Smith and James that struggled the most. They couldn't stop the Jazz from dominating. Utah jumped to a 35-21 advantage before Wittman was forced to go back to his starters. "That has been our nemesis, trying to find a group when Kevin goes out that we can get some life with," Wittman said. The Jazz made 12 of the first 14 shots they attempted in the second quarter. They went on a 19-2 run, which spanned the first two quarters, to jump to a 41-23 lead. That run ended when Garnett, who had checked back into the game with fellow starter Davis with 8:23 left, got to the free-throw line with Utah ahead by 18 points. "Coach said this is what he's going to do," James said of the different rotations. "This is his team. This is what he wants to do with it. Nobody can say nothing about it." It didn't matter if it was reserves with other reserves, or starters with other starters. By the time the night was over, it was clear the Wolves didn't have any cohesion. "We're in March, and we still don't have a real identity," Garnett said. Hudson has been buried on the bench most of the season. His brief appearance in Tuesday's blowout loss to Dallas ended a string of eight consecutive DNP-CDs, or Did Not Play-Coach's Decision. He shot 2 for 9. Smith's playing time had slipped under Wittman, who has favored Mark Madsen but who has been out because of a sprained ankle. Smith looked out of sorts early in the second quarter when Utah went on its run. Utah was the team that might have had an excuse to come out flat after its chartered flight couldn't get to the Twin Cities from Memphis on Thursday because of a snowstorm. The Jazz didn't arrive until about 10 a.m. Friday. Deron Williams played a strong floor game, leading Utah with 21 points and eight assists. Gordan Giricek had 20 points off the bench, and Matt Harpring added 19. "Talent ain't always the answer," Garnett said. "Having chemistry and having guys who share the ball and understand team basketball, guys who understand their roles coming in here, some veterans like I've been preaching for the longest (time), it's a combination of some things. We're going to figure it out. We've got Boston on Sunday. We're going to continue to work." --

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