A loss in their last contest prevented the Portland Trail Blazers from taking the lead in the Northwest Division. A visit from the Minnesota Timberwolves could help them get back on track.

The Trail Blazers go for their 11th straight victory at home and their eighth consecutive win over the lowly Timberwolves on Saturday night.

One night after a thrilling two-point win over Indiana, Portland (38-23) was one-half game behind division-leading Denver heading into a road matchup with the Nuggets on Thursday. Appearing tired, however, the Trail Blazers had their three-game winning streak snapped with a 106-90 loss to Denver.

Portland is now third in the division - one-half game behind surging Utah and a full game back of the Nuggets.

"We have to put this behind us," All-Star guard Brandon Roy told the Trail Blazers' official Web site. "I am disappointed but I don't think we are as frustrated as people think. We are going out and trying. We are pretty positive in here."

That attitude should help against Minnesota (18-43), which has lost eight in a row overall including a 110-90 defeat to the Lakers in Los Angeles on Friday.

The Timberwolves last beat the Blazers 94-93 on March 25, 2007. Portland's seven-game winning streak in the series is currently its longest against any opponent. Minnesota has also lost six in a row at Portland since an 84-74 victory on Dec. 7, 2005.

Ending either drought won't be easy for the Timberwolves. The Trail Blazers are 25-5 at the Rose Garden in 2008-09, and are looking to extend their longest winning streak there since taking 12 in a row from Dec. 6, 2007-Jan. 9, 2008.

This contest opens a key four-game homestand for Portland, which hosts the Western Conference-leading Lakers on Monday and Dallas on Wednesday before finishing with New Jersey next Friday.

The Trail Blazers - seventh in the West - can't afford to look past Minnesota, especially if they don't improve on their play from Thursday's loss.

Roy scored 22 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 for Portland, which trailed by 14 after one quarter and never regrouped.

"We just looked like we had heavy legs from the start to finish," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "It was a back-to-back and that could play a role."

Roy, averaging 22.7 points, had 24 and nine assists in the Trail Blazers' 97-93 win over Minnesota on Nov. 8 - the teams' last meeting at the Rose Garden.

Aldridge had 24 points and 13 rebounds against the Timberwolves in that game, and had 15 points and 10 boards in Portland's 102-82 victory at Minnesota on Feb. 27.

Ryan Gomes had 20 points and Kevin Love added 18 with 14 rebounds Friday for Minnesota, which shot 33 percent with star Randy Foye out with a hip pointer.

"It was a number of things,'' Love said. "There were a lot of things that we could have done better."

Foye, who is averaging 16.8 points on the season but just 8.7 in nine career games versus Portland, could be back Saturday for Minnesota, which is allowing an average of 109.9 points over its last 13 contests.

Love, the rookie forward who attended high school in Oregon, has a combined 12 points and 14 rebounds in three games versus the Trail Blazers.