The Timberwolves swung open the gate when they traded Ricky Davis to Miami last month for Antoine Walker, a future No. 1 draft pick and salary-cap flexibility.
On Wednesday night, Rashad McCants burst through it, allowing the Wolves to end their season-opening, five-game losing streak by scoring a career-high 33 points in a 108-103 victory over the Sacramento Kings at Target Center.
On a night when the Wolves finally shot and made more free throws than their opponent and when Walker finally was given a chance to make a real contribution off the bench, the Wolves -- at long last -- won a game after having four previous reasonable chances to do so.
"Well," Wolves coach Randy Wittman said, "finally."
Al Jefferson provided the pulse inside early on his way to a 23-point, seven-rebound performance, McCants offered the closing exclamation points outside in the fourth quarter and Walker and point guard Marko Jaric brought the glue, particularly with Jaric's hustle plays in the closing minutes that, at game's end, left Golden State as the NBA's only winless team.
Last month's trade thrust McCants, more than two seasons removed from being a first-round draft pick out of North Carolina and 17 months removed from microfracture surgery, into a starting role at Davis' shooting guard position.
"I've always been ready for this opportunity," said McCants, who led the Wolves on opening night with 23 points and then missed Friday's game at Los Angeles because of a sprained ankle. "Now that I've been given this opportunity, what am I going to do with it?"
On Wednesday, he provided 14 points in the fourth quarter. Included was a timely three-pointer -- one of four he made all game -- that immediately answered a Sacramento three and started a telling 13-5 run that McCants both began and ended with a three-pointer.
So good was his performance that Wittman said he couldn't even remember McCants taking one bad shot.
"Really?" McCants asked with a raised eyebrow after a 13-for-22 shooting night. "I'll keep that in mind."
The Wolves returned home from the West Coast 0-5 and went back to work Monday and Tuesday with two physical practices that left Jaric with a black eye. On Wednesday, he provided a team-high eight rebounds -- a performance Wittman said the team desperately needed from its guard because of the Kings' big frontline, featuring Mikki Moore, Brad Miller and the newly reinstated Ron Artest, who made his season debut Wednesday following a seven-game NBA suspension.
Jaric, inserted into the starting lineup three games ago because Wittman said he wanted Sebastian Telfair's energy coming off the bench, provided a couple of crucial rebounds down the stretch and spread himself on the floor -- and under Miller's rump -- to start a play that led to a McCants steal and layup for a 100-90 lead with less than two minutes left.
"A huge hustle play," Wittman said. "We made a lot of hustle plays."
That energy also finally reversed a trend in which the Wolves entered the game having averaged 18.4 free-throw attempts to their opponents' 40.4 average. The Wolves were 16-for-22 in free throws, the Kings 14-for-14.
It was the kind of aggressiveness Wittman was seeking when he told his players he wanted them to play like a "pack of hyenas" on Wednesday night.
"We've worked hard enough to be better than 1-5," said Walker, who reached season highs in minutes (30) and points (19) because Craig Smith is injured. "It can be a good feeling every time we come here because we've been playing hard enough to win."
Jerry Zgoda • jzgoda@startribune.com
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