Apr 15, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson (25) dribbles and Minnesota Timberwolves small forward Andrei Kirilenko (47) defends in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Greg Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Jazz needed this game, and the Wolves…didn’t. It was a fairly clean game, with only 22 combined turnovers. Well, clean if you avoid looking at the unsightly shooting numbers from the home squad. All things considered, the majority of the tilt was pretty well-played, and was very competitive until a late collapse by the Wolves.

The opening minutes were ugly for the Wolves, as the Jazz easily jumped out to a 16-2 lead due to horrible shooting and a lack of rebounding from Minnesota. In fact, the first Wolves’ first basket from the field came more than five minutes into the game on a layup from Derrick Williams. Some solid defense and fast-break execution got the Wolves back into the game rather quickly, and the Wolves pulled within 24-16 by the end of the first quarter.

The Wolves’ bench played very well in the second period, bringing the Wolves all the way back to a 36-34 deficit, courtesy of a 10-4 run led by J.J. Barea. Ricky Rubio did not log any second quarter minutes, and the backcourt of Barea and Alexey Shved kept the Wolves close until a 9-0 Jazz run over the final three minutes propelled the Jazz to a 52-41 halftime advantage.

The third quarter began with some very spotty shooting from the Wolves, as the Jazz slowly extended their lead. About midway through the frame, however, the Wolves were ignited by some very good defensive pressure and well-executed double-teams on Al Jefferson, and with an incredible Derrick Williams alley-oop dunk from Ridnour mixed in the middle, the Wolves went on runs of 9-0 and 15-4, eventually pulling to within a 61-58 score.

Utah went on a short burst fueled by a number of borderline foul calls by the officials and a flurry of free throw conversions, going on a 10-2 run over the final two minutes of the quarter and carrying a 71-60 lead into the fourth quarter. The Jazz’ lead only grew from there, as Rubio left the game midway through the final frame with the deficit holding in double-digits. Garbage time leaned the Jazz’ way with Utah pulling ahead by 20 points more than once, with the final tally eventually reached 96-80.

Some quick thoughts….

- Rubio did not play well, finishing with just 6 points on 2 of 9 shooting with 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 turnover in 29 minutes of play. His shot looked extremely flat, and he simply could not draw any foul calls in the lane.

- Al Jefferson is very, very good, and just in case there was any doubt, Greg Stiemsma is simply incapable of guarding him. Big Al dropped a leisurely 22 points on the Wolves’ defense, and neither Steamer nor Dante Cunningham stood much of a chance. The Jazz didn’t shoot particularly well from the perimeter, which in part allowed the Wolves to stay close for much of the game.

- The Wolves had another horrific night from long-range, shooting 2 for 17 (11.8%) from three-point land. The only makes were two wide-open shots by Barea in the second quarter. The fact that I can remember that easily off the top of my head means that the Wolves were really, really bad from deep.

- The Wolves will be in San Antonio to face the Spurs for the season finale on Wednesday night at 7:00 CST.

Apr 12, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson (25) shoots while defended by Minnesota Timberwolves center Greg Stiemsma (34) and point guard Alexey Shved (1) during the second half at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz won 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

After taking stock of the Jazz playoff predicament, things look a little bleak for Utah. Thanks to the schedule makers, they sat idle all weekend while the Lakers tightened the noose around their playoff hopes with a win over the Spurs, forcing the Jazz to have to win out and depend on the Rockets to force a tie for them to exercise their tiebreaker over L.A.

Jazz probable starting lineup:

PG Mo Williams

SG Randy Foye

SF Gordon Hayward

PF Paul Millsap

C Al Jefferson

The Jazz finished February and began March with a 3-12 stretch that saw them lose to Eastern squads Boston, Atlanta, Milwaukee and Cleveland and Western Playoff Contender, Dallas. With a couple solid blowouts of Charlotte and Detroit, and a squeaker with Memphis thrown in, Tyrone Corbin didn’t know what to do with his small forward spot during this stretch. DeMarre Carroll was in the starting lineup for Marvin Williams before eventually settling on Gordon Hayward, who has put up big numbers since missing 10 games with a sprained shoulder.

That poor 15-game stretch has forced the Jazz to be perfect since. They’ve gone 8-2, with no margin for error and the Grizzlies waiting for them to finish their season in Memphis, it could be done tonight if the Wolves do their part.

Wolves probable starting lineup:

PG Ricky Rubio

SG Luke Ridnour

SF Andrei Kirilenko

PF Derrick Williams

C Nikola Pekovic

The Wolves destroyed the Suns Saturday night to the tune of 105-93. Ricky Rubio had a career-high 24 points to go with 10 assists and 5 steals in an uggo-game the Wolves lottery chances didn’t even like. Sure, they reached a win total not seen without KG, but the Suns are the Suns, committing 27 turnovers to their 28 assists.

And it was brutal.

Pek is listed as day to day and could go a long way towards ruining Utah’s playoff chances if he can give it a go and throw his body on Big Al.