http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/16593537.htm With this team, don't get too excited. There were plenty of people touting the Timberwolves after a shocking victory Monday that snapped the Phoenix Suns' 17-game win streak. But the Wolves remain inconsistent and don't always play hard, and that's not going to change overnight, no matter who's coaching the team. The same players who pulled off the team's biggest win of the season suffered an almost-predictable letdown Wednesday night, losing 100-98 to the struggling Sacramento Kings. The Wolves rallied from an 11-point deficit early in the fourth quarter and led 96-95 on Kevin Garnett's turnaround jumper with 25.6 seconds left, but Sacramento's Kevin Martin answered on the other end with the go-ahead shot. Randy Wittman, 2-3 since taking over as the Wolves' head coach, was disgusted during the postgame news conference. He said his players' lack of effort in the first half was "unacceptable" and that his team didn't deserve to win. The Wolves trailed by 15 points in the second quarter, 13 at halftime and 10 entering the fourth quarter. "We lost that game when we stepped out of the locker room," Wittman said. The Wolves were wary of not suffering a setback — Wittman emphasized before the game that he wanted his players to show the same energy they did against Phoenix — but couldn't prevent it against a Kings squad that had lost three games in a row and was 5-15 on the road. Rookie point guard Randy Foye committed several errors down the stretch, including a couple of off-balance shots and getting stripped of the ball with the Wolves trailing 97-96. Moments later, he stepped out of bounds with 8.2 seconds left and the Wolves trailing 99-96. Garnett made 8 of 24 shots for 18 points after torching Phoenix for 44. "He struggled tonight," Wittman said. "He had 24 attempts. He missed some easy ones. I don't think it was anything (the Kings) were doing. I thought they were pretty good looks." Wittman said he has stressed every day that it's critical to play hard. But this wasn't the result he expected. The Kings are rife with chemistry problems, have a coach rumored to be on the hot seat and have been a big disappointment. But they handled Minnesota for much of the game, leading by 15 points in the second quarter. "We are not going to make every shot," Wittman said. "We are going to make defensive mistakes. It's how you make the mistakes. I do not know how much more black and white it can be. I can live with a mistake if they are out there busting their tails, but that did not happen in the first half." Wittman said he wanted his players to protect the lane against a Kings team with several options down low. But the Kings scored 46 points in the lane, with some of the early problems coming as a result of Sacramento's backdoor drives to the basket. "How many dunks and layups did they get in the first quarter where nobody reacted?" Wittman wondered. He said his players just didn't play the right way, despite his substitutions. Ricky Davis and Marko Jaric were among the culprits. "I tried pulling people in and out," Wittman said. "I will figure something out. I am going to try something. (I'm) not going to sit here and say it is just one of those things. It's just not acceptable, no matter what I say." Sacramento made shots from the outside, too. In the third quarter, whenever the Wolves cut into the double-digit deficit, the Kings seemed to hit a big three-pointer. Overall, Sacramento made nine three-point shots, including five in the third quarter. Though the Wolves rallied late in the fourth quarter, the first half was too much to overcome. The Kings were more aggressive, shooting 31 free throws to Minnesota's 12. "I think it's consistency at this point," Garnett said. "We're trying to figure it out. Believe me, if I had those answers, I would definitely share them." Said Mark Madsen of the team's preparation: "We had a great practice and a great shootaround." Results in games are what matter. --

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