Utah Jazz: Playoff hopes alive after..

NBA • But Corbin still cautious about rematch with Minnesota in Twin Cities

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Minneapolis • The dream lives on.

Thanks to another workmanlike performance from Al Jefferson, the Utah Jazz defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 96-85 Monday night, preserving the possibility that the Jazz (43-38) can sneak into the playoffs.

If the Jazz win at Memphis on Wednesday and the Houston Rockets beat the Lakers, the Jazz will earn the No. 8 seed for the second-straight year.

The first order of business, though, was beating Minnesota for the second time in four nights. Jefferson finished with 22 points and 8 rebounds, a far cry from the 40 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists he turned in on Friday, but more than enough in a game that started with the Jazz taking a 16-2 lead, sustained a handful of T-Wolves runs and ultimately ended with the Jazz's third straight win on the road.

Wait, is that right? Yep, if the Jazz make the playoffs, it will ultimately because they kicked one of their biggest flaws as a team: winning on the road. The Jazz are just 13-27 on the road, but seemingly turned a corner on April 7, when they won at Golden State.

Mo Williams added 15 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds for the Jazz, while Randy Foye made both of his 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to fuel the blowout.

Former Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko was just 2-of-7 from the field in 22 minutes, finishing with 7 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. The Jazz swept the season series with the Timberwolves, 4-0.

boram@sltrib.com

Twitter: @tribjazz

Utah Jazz: Playoff hopes alive after Jazz beat T-Wolves 96-80