Randolph impresses in 1st start

DALLAS - If it's opportunity that Anthony Randolph wanted, it's opportunity he received in the Timberwolves' 104-96 loss at Dallas on Thursday night.

Buried on the New York Knicks' bench all season until the Wolves acquired him in a trade-deadline deal last month, Randolph started Thursday in place of injured Kevin Love and responded by scoring a career-high 31 points.

His scoring both inside and out kept the Wolves competitive until the Mavericks' finishing 11-2 run, even though they were missing their All-Star forward and a guy who grabs more than 15 rebounds a night.

Without Love, the Wolves battled the Mavs nearly even (43-38) on the backboards on a night when Dallas won its 50th game for the 11th consecutive season, the third longest such stretch in NBA history.

Without Love, Randolph surpassed the 28 points he scored for Golden State against Orlando in December 2009, even though he didn't score again after making a layup with 89 seconds left in the third quarter.

"I feel like I don't have to prove nothing to nobody," he said after also grabbing 11 rebounds in 36 minutes. "I'm just happy to be able to play a game that I love. That's all that I've always wanted to do."

He got a big chance Thursday when Love was home in Minnesota resting and rehabilitating an injured groin in hope of being able to play Sunday against Boston at Target Center.

Just four days after they were clobbered at home by equally lousy Sacramento, the Wolves made the Mavs work for that 50th victory. The game changed late when Tyson Chandler's three-point play turned Dallas' one-point deficit into a two-point lead, giving the Mavericks the lead for good with 2:38 left.

"They really made us reach deep," said Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki, who delivered a 30-point, 11-rebound night.

The Wolves did so after coach Kurt Rambis left all of his starters except for Randolph on the bench for the entire fourth quarter while he went with reserves Anthony Tolliver, Jonny Flynn, Martell Webster and Wayne Ellington.

"I thought they played hard, I thought they played well," Rambis said. "They did a good job defensively. They were very active. They were helping each other. They did a good job moving the ball. They got themselves on nice little roll."

Randolph played the final 5:30 with those four reserves and didn't score down the stretch. Until then, he scored inside with a nifty reverse layup and outside with a smooth jumper.

"Just God-given ability, I was blessed to be able to do a lot of different things," Randolph said. "The Timberwolves gave me a chance to come here and play, coming out of the situation with New York where I really didn't see the floor too much unless it was garbage minutes. I'm just thankful for my opportunity, trying to make the best out of it."

Nothing Brewing Corey Brewer -- who was traded to New York in the Randolph deal, waived and signed by Dallas -- was inactive Thursday because Shawn Marion returned to action.

"I love him," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's a great worker, a tireless worker. He has the most energy and stamina of any player I've worked with in some time. We like him because of what he can do now but we also like him for the future. I just really feel he's going to be a core guy here as a young, developing player and I think he'll be a rotation player."