MINNEAPOLIS – Erick Dampier wasn't available for Sunday's game against Minnesota.

The way Mavericks coach Avery Johnson spoke, Dampier's ability to play against Detroit on Wednesday is also in question.

Dampier missed his second consecutive game with what the club calls a left knee effusion. The injury occurred during the win over Golden State, when Dampier had 13 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.

"He didn't respond well after the Golden State game," Johnson said. "Swelling was there. He was limping pretty badly and couldn't practice. Yesterday [Saturday], he could hardly do anything.

"If he doesn't respond well [today], we're going to have to take a further look."

That further look would be an MRI. Dampier hasn't had one on the knee yet.

Jerry Stackhouse also sat out Sunday with a sprained right thumb, but he said the pain has begun to subside.

"The way it's feeling, I definitely should be back Wednesday," Stackhouse said.

A wolf by any other name: Minnesota coach Randy Wittman wasn't too pleased with his team after Sunday's loss.

He voiced his frustration in terms any true wolf would understand.

"We had our tail between our legs instead of biting back," Wittman said of the Timberwolves' 23-point loss. "You kick a dog around enough, sooner or later it is going to bite you.

"I have to find those dogs that are going to bite. Right now, we are getting kicked, and we're not doing anything about it."

A long day: Mo Ager was back in uniform for the Mavericks. If he looked a little tired, he had an excuse.

The Mavericks informed the Tulsa 66ers on Saturday night that Ager would be called back to Dallas. The problem was the 66ers had a game – in Utah.

Ager played in the game, took the one-hour drive back to the hotel and caught a 5:30 a.m. flight out of Salt Lake City. He said the only sleep he got was on the plane, which arrived in Minneapolis a few hours before tip-off.

Johnson said he was pleased with how steady Ager played in Tulsa. Ager averaged 16.3 points in his brief stint in the D-League.

"Some people look at it as a downfall by going down there, but you have to look at it as an opportunity," Ager said.

Ager played just under four minutes in Sunday's blowout and failed to score.

Briefly: Avery Johnson put the team through a walk through at the team hotel before Sunday's game. "I woke them up early," Johnson said. "We're glad it paid off with us." ... Little-used Trenton Hassell played in his third consecutive game. Johnson said he intended to use Hassell even before it was determined that Stackhouse wouldn't be available. "I like his body language," Johnson said. "He's been practicing awfully hard."