Utah @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 2, 2018 ) Minnesota 108, Utah 116

The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Utah Jazz are both fighting to stay in the top eight of the Western Conference and are separated from each other by just a half-game. The Timberwolves will try to run their winning streak to three in a row at the expense of the Jazz when they host Utah on Sunday.

Minnesota leaned on All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns in its last two games, and the 22-year-old delivered with 56 points in a 126-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday and 21 points and 20 rebounds in a 93-92 triumph over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. "Scratching out wins, it's critical," Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters after Friday's triumph. "Everyone is tough in the West. Sometimes it's going to be like tonight." Utah is tied for the seventh spot in the West, two games clear of the ninth-place Los Angeles Clippers, but is only one game behind fourth-place San Antonio in the tightly-packed group. The Jazz held off lowly Memphis 107-97 on Friday to split a two-game homestand and will play three of its remaining six games on the road.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah), FS North (Minnesota)

ABOUT THE JAZZ (43-33): Utah got an unexpected scoring boost off the bench on Friday from point guard Dante Exum, who scored 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting and went 3-of-4 from 3-point range. The 22-year-old Australian suffered a separated shoulder in the preseason and did not make his season debut until March 15. "(Dante) ignited our team, and he really did it on both ends of the floor," Jazz coach Quin Snyder told reporters. "He attacked on offense and came up with some big defensive plays. It's really good to see after everything he's fought through, and our team needed that tonight."

ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (44-33): Towns was solid on Friday, but it was veteran Jamal Crawford taking over down the stretch when the team needed a boost in the fourth quarter. Crawford, 38, scored 13 of his 24 points in the final period, including a jumper in the final seconds to provide just enough cushion for the win after waving off a screen from Towns. "That was cold-blooded," Towns told reporters. "That was one of the most cold-blooded shots I've ever seen. He waved me off. He wanted to go 1-on-1. When you're in a zone like that? Why not?"

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Timberwolves PG Derrick Rose (ankle) sat out the last five games but is nearing a return.

2. Jazz PG Ricky Rubio (hamstring) missed Friday's game and is day-to-day.

3. Minnesota took the first two meetings but Utah earned a 116-108 home win in the latest matchup on March 2.

PREDICTION: Jazz 103, Timberwolves 95