by By Don Seeholzer dseeholzer@pioneerpress.com , St. Paul Pioneer Press

That's Randy Foye, the Wolves' starting point guard, who credited a pared-down playbook for the season-high 23 points and career-high 14 assists he had in a stunning 106-80 victory over the Detroit Pistons at Auburn Hills, Mich.

"Everything was simplified tonight," Foye said after the game. "Coach brought me to the side a couple of times and told me to just go."

Coach Randy Wittman said Monday it wasn't a case of going back to basics as much as cutting down the play calling and running fewer set plays.

He also said the simplified approach was made across the board, for all the players, although Foye was the most obvious beneficiary.

"I just gave him a couple things to worry about if he had to make a call," Wittman said. "If we wanted to run something else, I kind of got up at a dead ball and orchestrated that. I thought it helped him. It gave him a little bit maybe freer mind. We're going to continue with that, obviously."

Wittman wouldn't say how much was taken out of the playbook, but he said the emphasis for all the players was to be more aggressive and drive to the basket with a score-first, pass-second mentality.

In Foye's case, that translated into the kind of point-guard play the Wolves were hoping to see from him from the start this season.

"He was the guy that he can be and hasn't been that way," Wittman said. "Whether he is coming off pick and rolls or going into seams, he needs to penetrate with the thought of scoring, and if the defense takes that away, then you make the pass. If you come off predetermining what you are going to do, then the defense is never going to collapse on you."

Like his team, Foye has had an up-and-down season. He went through a shooting slump that included a 3-for-24 stretch and lost his starting job for five games but seemed to find himself while coming off the bench.

"You try to do different things to try to get guys going," Wittman said. "I thought it did help a little bit initially, but who's to say? He goes through those ups and downs that you've got to play through. He goes 2 for 12 against Boston and then comes and has a game like he did last night."

Friday's game against the Celtics was a forgettable one for all the Wolves, who set a team record by making just two field goals in the third quarter and shooting 31.3 percent for the night in a 95-78 blowout at Target Center.

That's what made Sunday's performance against the Pistons so unexpected, but except for the more simplified approach, Wittman said his team didn't do anything differently.

"I'm not surprised by it," he said. "You never foresee a game like that against a team like that on the road, but it's not surprising because we have built leads up. We just hadn't always finished them. This was one of those start-to-finish games that hopefully will help our guys in their minds and their psyche."

Briefly: With their first road victory in the books, the Wolves (3-9) will try to win back-to-back games for the first time this season Wednesday, when the Phoenix Suns visit Target Center.

The Wolves lifted weights but didn't practice Monday, so there was no update on the status of guards Rashad McCants (back) and Kevin Ollie (calf), who have missed the past two and three games, respectively.

Staff writer Brian Murphy contributed to this report.

Up next: Suns at Timberwolves, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Target Center, Fox Sports North, KFAN-AM 1130

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