MINNEAPOLIS ? Even by Sidney Moncrief's estimation, Arkansas hired the right guy. Moncrief's alma mater hired Stan Heath to coach the Razorbacks on Thursday, and Moncrief praised the move.

Even if he had to lose out on the job.

Moncrief interviewed for the Arkansas head coach position Wednesday in Fayettville, Ark., he said, and was honored to be one of about six candidates to go through the process.

Moncrief said he couldn't pass on the sudden request to interview for the school, but maintained he was happy both for Heath and to remain as a Mavericks assistant coach.

Steve Nash nearly bailed the Mavs out twice in the final frantic seconds, but both of his tries, including a jumper at the buzzer, didn't find the the net and Minnesota held on for a 113-111 victory before a sellout crowd of 19,668 at the Target Center.

"We had two great shots," Mavericks coach Don Nelson said. "It just wasn't meant to be tonight."

For the second time in three nights, the Mavericks faced a double-digit deficit on the road. They rallied to win the first time. They weren't as lucky with the Timberwolves. The loss dropped the Mavericks (49-22) to 1-1 on their four-game road trip and back into a first-place tie with idle San Antonio in the Midwest Division. The trek continues tonight against another playoff-caliber opponent, Boston, and concludes Sunday at Washington.

Passion was not a problem for the Timberwolves on Thursday night. Kevin Garnett has 12 stitches on his head and a sore back to prove it.

Garnett scraped himself off the court after a nasty fall and came back for more, a touch of symbolism in what was a tumultuous 48 hours for the Wolves.

Two days after hitting rock bottom in their late-season slide, the Wolves picked themselves up off the floor and answered their critics with a rejuvenating 113-111 victory against the Dallas Mavericks in a wild affair before a sellout crowd of 19,668 at Target Center.

MINNEAPOLIS ? It is bad enough for the Minnesota Timberwolves that they have lost nine of their last 11 games. It's tough, too, that seven of those games have come at home in the Target Center.

But that Tuesday's loss came at the hands of the Golden State Warriors, who had previous lost 10 in a row, was tougher. So, too, was coach Flip Saunders questioning his players' passion after the game.

And the player's-only meeting called before Wednesday's practice only fully punctuated the obvious.

"This is as bad as it gets," point guard Chauncey Billups said.

Technically, it's still possible for the Timberwolves to drop entirely from the playoffs, though so far they have only dropped to the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference after beginning the season 30-10 and leading the Midwest Division in late January.

"For an All-Star player, he doesn't get any calls," Mavericks coach Don Nelson said. "I don't know why. It just takes more years in the league, probably."

Nowitzki, a four-year veteran and first-time All-Star this season, gets to the foul line an average of seven times per game, ranking eighth in the NBA with 476 attempts. Thanks to his 85 percent free-throw shooting, he's fifth in the league with 404 makes.

But against the Bucks, Nowitzki only shot two free throws, and he's averaging only 4.2 tries over the past five games. Why? Nowitzki doesn't know, but he realizes it's time to change his approach.

"I've got to take it on me and adjust my game better to the way they're officiating," he said. "I guess that's where I'm not really good at yet. I don't really adjust my game to that and then be stronger with the ball, and finish stronger around the basket. That's what I've got to do."

New Dallas point guard Nick Van Exel worked out with his new team Wednesday at the Timberwolves' practice facility ? a place he thought he'd be practicing every day barely a month ago.

Van Exel said that as the Feb. 21 trading deadline approached, "I thought if I wasn't going to be in Denver, it would be Minnesota. That's who we had a lot of talks with. So I was kind of excited for that to happen."

Instead, Van Exel was traded by Denver to Dallas in a multi-player deal, and the Wolves swapped veteran center Dean Garrett and a second-round draft pick to Golden State for forward Marc Jackson.

What fell through in the Nuggets' negotiations?

"I think the biggest issue ? and this is my opinion, I don't know if it was true or not ? but I think Denver's biggest concern was Terrell Brandon, if he would ever play again (after knee surgery)," Van Exel said. "I think that was the biggest concern for Denver."

Not that it didn't work out well for Van Exel. He's averaging 9.9 points, 3.3 assists and 26.9 minutes with his new team, mostly as a reserve, and said he's happy to be with the Mavericks, who are contending for the Midwest Division title.

Of his trade from Denver to Dallas, Van Exel said: "It was a big surprise, because it was mentioned, but I never thought there was much to it because they were already winning, they already had a good team. Steve (Nash) is here, and Tim (Hardaway) was doing his thing. So it was never really big on my list.

Van Exel, a prep star from nearby Kenosha, Wis., watched as Avery Johnson, the Mavericks' third point guard, came off the bench ahead of him in the third period against the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks. The move sparked the fiery Van Exel, who scored all 17 of his points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and the Mavs opened their four-game road trip with a 112-106 victory at the Bradley Center, the first victory at Milwaukee since 1987.

Van Exel's scoring burst is exactly what Nelson has been waiting for since the deal that brought the former Denver point guard to Texas. "We almost had to force-feed him," Nelson said. "He's trying to be so conservative, and we keep telling him to be aggressive. I didn't think I could play him in the second half. I went with Avery Johnson."

Van Exel, playing with sore ribs, got the message.

"He did get my attention," said Van Exel, who played before about 20 family and friends. "I was very frustrated with myself. I was missing my bread-and-butter, my 3-foot jump shot. Those are the easy baskets for me. Those really get me going."