Moments after Al Jefferson was helped to the Wolves' locker room, Telfair stopped Hornets guard Devin Brown on a drive into the lane. He reached out and freed the ball, and it went directly to Marks, who dunked for a 97-96 lead.

Telfair then threw a long pass for a streaking Mike Miller into the team's bench and the Wolves were forced to foul after that.

"That's the kind of break that you get when you're winning games and when you're losing games," said Telfair, whose team now has lost six of seven games after winning 12 of its previous 16. "When you're losing games, you don't get those breaks."

Take that

Sunday's game promised a West-Jefferson matchup at center -- Western Conference coaches picked West over Jefferson to be an All-Star Game reserve -- and neither finished the game. West was ejected with 1:53 left before halftime after he swung from behind at Miller's head and neck rather than the ball as Miller drove for a fast-break layup. Officials called a flagrant foul type 2 -- unnecessary and excessive contact that commands automatic ejection. After the game, Miller rubbed his sore neck but said he was fine.

"I don't know," he said when asked if the foul felt like a flagrant No. 2. "It is what it is now."

McCants gets minutes

Rashad McCants played his third consecutive game. Are the Wolves showcasing him before the Feb. 19 trade deadline?

"No," coach Kevin McHale said rather flatly. "I thought he practiced very well. I thought he gave us a boost in a game (Wednesday's loss to Atlanta) before, so I thought I'd try."

McCants played Saturday at Houston while Rodney Carney sat; on Sunday, McCants played three minutes, Carney played 20.

"Rodney should have played last night," McHale said. "Rodney's been great. Like I told him today, that was my fault. I tried to get him in, but the timing just didn't work out."

Foye's shot deserts him

The Wolves reversed course under McHale in good part because Randy Foye discovered both his confidence and his shooting touch under McHale's calm, steadying hand. Foye shot 49.6 percent in January's first 10 games. In the past nine, he has shot 31.4 percent, including a 4-for-15 night Sunday.

"You're going to go through periods when you don't shoot the ball so well," McHale said. "That's why they're called averages. It's hard to tell your shooters not to shoot, but there also comes a time where your guys who can get to the hole have to get to the hole."

Fan club

About 75 family and friends from his hometown of Prentiss, Miss., traveled to New Orleans to watch Jefferson play and then saw him helped off the court with that injured knee late in the game.