Well, that didn’t take so long, did it?

Only three weeks.

The Wolves’ eight-game losing streak ended Wednesday when they finally played down the stretch mostly like this team has been built to play: Through Al Jefferson. He scored six consecutive points for the Wolves when it matters. The last two hoops repelled the Sixers after they had chopped a 10-point lead with less than six minutes left down to just one.

When Philly got within a point one last time, Jefferson passed out through the collapsing defense and found Mike Miller open for a three-pointer with 30.4 seconds left that pushed the Sixers away for the final time. It capped an evening from Miller that you’ve probably been waiting for since he was acquired from Memphis last summer: 10 points, 10 rebounds, six assists.

The Wolves won for the first time since their season opener, two days before Halloween.

Contrast this finish– when the Wolves scored when they had to and got just enough defensive stops to win — with Sunday’s collapse at Denver, or Saturday’s collapse against Portland or last week’s collapse at Golden State.

“I think the difference was our (defensive) stops,” said Jefferson, who scored 25. “The stops made the game ours. We made them take tough shots.”

This time, though, the Wolves knew where to go when they needed a basket and they went there: To Jefferson.

“I don’t feel like I have to take every shot at crunch time,” Jefferson said. “But the ball should go through me. If I see a double team, I’ll make the decision to pass it out. If not, I go to work.”

He did both when the Wolves really needed, two nights before Kevin Garnett comes back to play at Target Center for the first time since he was traded away.

Some other things:

Go figure this — Craig Smith brought the Wolves back from  early deficits of 12-3 and 19-6 by scoring 13 of his 21 points before halftime but consider this stat line: 21 points, 0 rebounds, 5 assists. You might never see something like that from him again.

Randy Foye made his first start at point guard since the Wolves lost to San Antonio in the season’s fourth game and delivered a 10-point, six assists, three-rebound, two-block and two-turnover game in which he got the ball well enough where it needed to go down the stretch.

Rashad McCants played less than seven minutes after he got hit and had to leave in the second quarter because of back spasms. That might have been the best thing the Wolves had going for them down the stretch; Wittman couldn’t be tempted to put him in there.

Corey Brewer, again, played just 16 minutes.

Sebastian Telfair played just 14 minutes, but had eight assists. That’s pretty good. He had three turnovers, too, though.

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