Timberwolves 110, Bucks 101, OT

4/16/2008 10:51 PM

By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -Randy Foye took full advantage of the five extra minutes added to his injury-shortened season, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves finish a forgettable season on a winning note.

``I'm definitely glad it's in the rearview mirror,'' said Foye, who scored 10 of his career-high 32 points in overtime.

Ryan Gomes added 17 points and 10 rebounds and the Timberwolves blew by the Bucks 110-101 on Wednesday night in what might have been the end of Larry Krystkowiak's only full season as Milwaukee's coach.

He watched the Bucks (26-56) waste a 16-point third-quarter lead and stretch their losing streak to eight. They closed by losing 12 of their last 14 games.

``It stings. It is a negative exclamation point on a season. It would have been nice to walk out of here with a smile, but such is life,'' said Krystkowiak, who will meet Thursday morning with new general manager John Hammond to find out whether he'll be back.

The Wolves (22-60) hope to land the same lottery luck the Bucks had three years ago, when they were awarded the first pick in the draft and took Andrew Bogut out of Utah. Minnesota tied Memphis for the third-worst record in the league.

``I look at this season as a learning process. Even though we didn't do as well as I was hoping, we still got something out of this,'' said Al Jefferson, who emerged as a clear cornerstone of a franchise that started over last summer after trading perennial All-Star Kevin Garnett.

Foye didn't play until the end of January because of a kneecap problem that popped up in training camp, but he finished April strong and topped it off with this performance that included 6-for-7 shooting from the floor after the third period.

``It's still coming. I've still got a lot of work to do,'' Foye said.

For the Bucks, rookie Ramon Sessions scored a career-high 25 points to go with 14 assists and Bogut had 24 points and 15 rebounds.

Jefferson was guarding a backing-down Bogut in the post when Sessions suddenly sprinted down the lane past Foye for an easy layup off the feed from Bogut. That gave the Bucks their biggest lead, 65-49 with 8 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Sessions, a second-round draft pick from Nevada who spent most of the season in the NBA's developmental league, has surely made a positive impression on Hammond for the future.

After his 20-point, 24-assist performance in Monday's 151-135 loss to Chicago, he played 40-plus minutes for the fourth straight time and had a double-double for the third straight game.

With Mo Williams and Charlie Bell injured down the stretch, Sessions capitalized on his opportunity.

``He's done a nice job for us,'' Krystkowiak said. ``Certainly going down the stretch it has given him a lot of confidence and should propel him into a better situation, I think, in our league.''

The question is if Krystkowiak, who went 5-13 as the interim replacement for Terry Stotts last season, will get to coach him again. He never found a rhythm with his team, which had plenty of talent but never meshed in the right way.

``It's not fun, what we have experienced,'' Krystkowiak said before the game. ``So you kind of want it to be over.''

Desmond Mason described Krystkowiak's postgame speech.

``He wasn't up there crying or anything. He spoke his peace,'' Mason said, adding: ``It is disappointing to us to look back on our season, and look at all of the situations we were in and the games we let slip and the lack of effort, off and on, making mental mistakes on the floor. It's frustrating.''

The Timberwolves held their annual fan appreciation night, for those still interested in watching the final game of the team's worst finish in 13 years. This was the sixth time Minnesota lost 60 games in 19 seasons of existence, though five of those came in the first six years.

The first 5,000 ticketholders through the doors were given an Al Jefferson coin bank, a fitting promotion for the player who has given the Wolves at least one reason to be hopeful for next season.

The prize of the Kevin Garnett trade that reset the franchise's development and all but promised plenty of ping pong balls for the next draft lottery, Jefferson averaged more than 21 points and 11 rebounds while playing in all 82 games.

``We have to work. It's not going to be easy,'' Jefferson said.

Notes: Sessions highlighted the second period by swishing a half-court shot at the horn to put the Bucks up 53-45. ... Minnesota's Kirk Snyder sprained his left ankle and left the game in the third quarter after a rough landing on his foot while being fouled on a missed layup. Fan favorite Mark Madsen, who appeared in only 20 games this season, subbed for Snyder and made one of two free throws.