Minnesota @ Portland preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 24, 2018 ) Minnesota 114, Portland 123

The Minnesota Timberwolves are sitting in the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference but are only 3 1/2 games clear of the ninth-place Denver Nuggets. The Portland Trail Blazers, who host the Timberwolves on Thursday, are in that pack of teams stuck between three and nine but are moving up with wins in four straight.

Minnesota is winning the games it is supposed to win and breezed past the tanking Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings in the last two games to move ahead of the San Antonio Spurs despite losing All-Star Jimmy Butler to a knee injury over the weekend. "The important thing is to understand we're not going to replace Jimmy with any one individual," Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters. "We're going to have to do it collectively as a team. We can't underestimate how hard we have to play. Anytime you're shorthanded you have to play with great intensity on every possession. If we do that we'll be able to win games." The Trail Blazers are having no trouble winning games of late and are aiming for a top-four spot in the West. "We're in a good space as a team mentally and in the standings, so as long as we continue to focus on us I think we control wherever we want to be at the end," Portland All-Star Damian Lillard told reporters.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (38-26): Minnesota replaced Butler in the starting lineup with power forward Nemanja Bjelica, who contributed 12 points, eight rebounds and four steals to Monday's win at Sacramento. "The versatility is big for us," Thibodeau told reporters of having Bjelica in the lineup. "The shooting adds a lot to our team. We're long. When you have him at the '3,' you add another 6-11 guy there and that moves (Andrew Wiggins) to the '2' and you have good length there also. So, it's a different look than with Jimmy, but I think the size there does help us." Wiggins is picking things back up after a brief slump and scored over 20 points in each of the last three games.

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (35-26): Lillard scored 26 points on 11-of-19 shooting and added 12 assists in Tuesday's win over the Kings to cap a strong February. The 27-year-old averaged 31.4 points in 10 games during the month, including a 50-point outburst and two other games in which he scored at least 40. "I don't know if there's more to say," Portland coach Terry Stotts told reporters of Lillard. "He's very focused. His leadership permeates the team. He has a way not only of elevating his game but his teammates' game."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Lillard's 223 points over the last six games are a franchise record for any player in a six-game span.

2. Timberwolves C Karl-Anthony Towns leads the NBA with 54 double-doubles.

3. Minnesota took the first two matchups, but Portland earned a 123-114 home win in the most recent meeting on Jan. 24.

PREDICTION: Trail Blazers 106, Timberwolves 104