Atlanta @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 29, 2018 ) Minnesota 100, Atlanta 105

The Minnesota Timberwolves are trying to lock up a spot in the Western Conference playoffs for the first time since 2004 but will need to stop losing to teams at the bottom of the standings. The Timberwolves will try to avoid a third overall loss and their second straight to a losing team when they host the East-worst Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

Minnesota is in the No. 8 spot in the West, and trying to hold off the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers, after dropping a 101-93 decision at home to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. "We have to have a collective will to bounce back (Wednesday)," Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters on Tuesday. "You just have to keep coming. When you fall short of something you want, you have to pick yourself up and keep going until we get it done. I believe we will get it done." Minnesota will play four of its last seven games against teams with losing records but also faces Denver twice and the Utah Jazz, who are just ahead in seventh place. The Hawks are playing the finale of a six-game road trip and dropped the last three, capped by a 118-99 setback at Houston on Sunday.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), FS North (Minnesota)

ABOUT THE HAWKS (21-53): Atlanta did stun one West playoff contender with a 99-94 victory at Utah earlier in its trip but failed to turn the same trick in losses at Golden State and Houston. The Hawks are getting some solid individual performances and watched Taurean Prince work his way out of a shooting slump by scoring 28 points on 11-of-18 from the floor against the Rockets. Second-year point guard Isaiah Taylor added a career-high 26 points in 32 minutes on Sunday while starting in place of Dennis Schroder (ankle).

ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (42-33): Minnesota is 6-7 in 13 games since All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler went down with a knee injury, but Monday's loss was particularly crushing "This is the worst loss," point guard Jeff Teague told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "By far. This was a must-win for us. Every game down the stretch is a must-win. And against a team -- not taking anything from them -- they're not playing for anything right now." Teague scored 25 points in the loss but power forward Nemanja Bjelica, who is starting in place of Butler, went scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Schroder missed two of the last three games and was already ruled out for Wednesday.

2. Timberwolves SF Andrew Wiggins is 3-of-15 from 3-point range over the last three games.

3. Atlanta knocked off Minnesota at home 105-100 on Jan. 29.

PREDICTION: Timberwolves 115, Hawks 100