Timberwolves-Jazz Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD

(AP) -- After suffering a setback during their best stretch of the season, the Utah Jazz can bounce back by extending the Western Conference's longest current losing streak.

The Jazz look to take advantage of another slumping opponent Tuesday night when they host an injury-ravaged Minnesota Timberwolves team that has lost eight in a row.

Following a horrendous 1-12 stretch which featured a conference season-worst nine-game skid, Utah (10-21) turned things around by winning four of five games for the first time since the 2012-13 season ahead of Monday's tough test against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Gordon Hayward hit four 3-pointers and finished with 22 points and seven assists, Derrick Favors scored 15 with nine boards and the Jazz gave the Clippers everything they could handle in a 101-97 loss at Staples Center.

"They're a really good team. And for us to fight on the road like this is really positive," Hayward said. "But we just have to close out games a little bit better and find ways to get good looks."

Hayward, averaging 19.0 points, has gone 15 of 26 from 3-point range in his last six games. He finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in a 136-130 double-overtime win at Minnesota last April, while Favors had 21 points and 12 boards.

Three of Utah's latest wins have come against losing clubs, the lone exception a 97-91 win at Memphis on Dec. 22. Now the Jazz begin a stretch with two games versus Minnesota (5-24) and another versus Indiana over their next four.

Utah will try to keep playing well on defense after allowing an average of 91.3 points on 42.6 percent shooting with a plus-7.0 rebounding margin over its last six games.

Those numbers seem attainable against Minnesota, which has averaged 95.4 points while shooting 42.8 percent over its last 10 and owns a minus-3.9 rebounding margin on the skid.

The Wolves have also been dreadful defensively, giving up 109.4 points per game in their last eight and 114.7 in 15 on the road.

Thaddeus Young had 17 points and Zach LaVine added 12 with 14 assists despite missing 8 of 12 shots in Saturday's 110-97 loss at Golden State that established the team's worst slide since losing 11 in a row from March 30-April 17, 2012.

"We basically beat ourselves," coach Flip Saunders said after Minnesota committed a season-high 25 turnovers.

The West-worst Wolves, who are playing without injured starters Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Martin, are also looking to avoid dropping nine straight on the road for the first time since Feb. 22-March 21, 2013.

Young has totaled 40 points on 17-of-32 shooting in his last two games and has scored a combined 37 in his past two meetings with Utah dating to his time with Philadelphia.

Shabazz Muhammad and Andrew Wiggins will try to regroup after teaming for 19 points Saturday. Muhammad had averaged 19.2 points over his previous 11 games, while Wiggins had a combined 49 in his prior two.

Minnesota won the first three meetings last season before the Jazz took the finale behind Trey Burke's career-high 32 points. Burke, however, is averaging 11.4 points this season and shooting 32.4 percent over his last six games.

Starting guard Alec Burks is questionable for Utah after missing the past two games with a sore left shoulder.