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MINNESOTA -- The Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves in very similar situations.
Both teams are a game under .500. The Jazz are at 15-16 on the season, while the Wolves are 16-17. Both teams are chasing the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Both rosters are loaded with young talent, each squad sending two players to the Rising Stars game over the All-Star weekend.
In fact, the teams are so close in the standings that only one-thousandth of a percentage point separates the two teams.
Utah and Minnesota both lost games on Monday they had chances to win. Both teams are hungry to get back in the win column after devastating losses. The Jazz dropped a 106-102 decision to the San Antonio Spurs, while the T-Wolves lost a close game, 103-101, at Denver.
The difference in these two teams, at this time, is the direction they’re heading.
After a start to the season that had the team as highly seeded as second in the West, the Jazz have struggled. The Jazz have lost two games in a row, four of their last five, seven of nine and nine of their last 12 contests. The Jazz are below .500 for the first time since early January when they were 2-3.
Prior to Monday’s loss to the Nuggets, the Wolves had won three straight games and surpassed the Jazz in the Northwest division standings.
Highly touted rookie point guard Ricky Rubio, who finished Monday’s performance with 16 points and five assists, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the Wolves had their chances.
"Today was a great opportunity," he said. "We had a chance to beat a playoff team and make a big step in the fight for the playoff, but we didn't."
The Jazz, who led by as many as 11 points, also had “a great opportunity” in Monday’s game, but a clutch three-point shot by Richard Jefferson with just seconds remaining iced the game for the Spurs.
"It's a disappointing loss. I thought the guys really competed hard," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin told the Deseret News. "We gave ourselves a chance to win the game down at the end. We just have to keep fighting."
For the Jazz, a victory against a good Minnesota team on the road could give the momentum it needs to turn things around for the second half of the season.
"We've still got a lot to work on," Jazz power forward Paul Millsap told the Deseret News after the game. "We've got to work on closing our games. We're standing in there in the fourth quarter, but just not coming out with the win at the end."
The game takes place at 6 p.m. at the Target Center in Minneapolis and can be seen on Root Sports.
Jarrod is a freelance writer who writes Jazz previews for KSL.com. You can follow Jarrod Hiatt on Twitter at @jarrodhiatt.
