AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- It was a career night for clairvoyant Timberwolves point guard Randy Foye, who sensed something special brewing in the shootaround before Sunday's surprising 106-80 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
"I was just throwing floaters up straight in the air and (they) were just falling straight down," Foye said. "I looked at (assistant) coach (Jerry) Sichting and I was like, 'Tonight might be a good one.' We laughed about it, but it was for me." Indeed. Foye torched the Pistons for a game-high 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting, including a trio of three-pointers, and added a career-best 14 assists for good measure.
The leading performance was what Wolves coach Randy Wittman craved from Foye all season, patiently leaning on him to seize the initiative and react smartly to defensive schemes.
"He forced the defense to collapse in on him tonight -- and he was aggressive coming off the pick and roll," Wittman said. "We spent two days talking about those things -- you've got to make it happen, and then everything falls in front of you."
Foye's production spearheaded a selfless Wolves attack. They dished out 32 assists, their most since collecting 35 in a double-overtime loss to San Antonio. Foye's 14 surpassed his previous high of 10 assists against Philadelphia on Jan. 5, 2007.
"Today there was so much energy from everybody," Foye said. "Everybody was so focused on the game plan and getting this game."
Pistons shifting gears: The last time the Wolves played the Pistons in April, Detroit handed them their 60th loss and clinched the NBA's second-best record en route to a sixth straight berth in the Eastern Conference finals.
After Boston halted their postseason run, big changes occurred in Motown.
Coach Flip Saunders was fired in the offseason, and, earlier this month, the Pistons shipped point guard Chauncey Billups and two players to Denver for veteran sniper Allen Iverson in a trade that shook up both conferences.
Detroit acquired in Iverson the slashing game breaker it lacked but sacrificed the playmaking and leadership Billups provided for five-plus seasons, which included a 2004 NBA Finals most valuable player performance.
Nine games into the Iverson era, the Pistons are 4-5 with him in the lineup, struggling to assimilate him into their scheme.
"Chauncey's a facilitator," Wittman said before the game. "He organized their offense. Allen's Allen. He's a scorer. He's going to get shot attempts."
Injury update: Guard Rashad McCants (back spasms) was "moving in the right direction," but Wittman said he was not sure when he would return to practice.
Briefly: Sunday's victory was only Minnesota's third over Detroit in their past nine meetings.
