Considering that Minnesota had managed just 11 wins heading into Tuesday night’s contest against the Utah Jazz, it’s quite easy to overlook the fact that the Wolves have competed quite well against the league’s best teams throughout the 2007-08 campaign.

As a matter of fact, playing well against good teams has almost been a staple: Minnesota has beaten Phoenix (twice), New Orleans and Golden State, and lost at or near the buzzer to Boston (twice), Denver, Houston and San Antonio, a who’s who of top NBA teams.

Finishing games, on the other hand, has been less of a staple. You might chalk it up to youth, lack of talent, or simple bad luck, but either way, the Wolves had lost 12 games when tied or leading the game after three quarters. And sure enough, against the Jazz - a team hotter than burnt toast with 20 wins in 24 games - the score was tied at 72 heading into the fourth quarter.

Uh-oh, right? Had Utah’s veterans closed out the game and erased another great Minnesota effort, it would have been the prototypical Wolves game.

But not this time. The trend, instead, was bucked. Or, more appropriately, the Wolves refused to have it any other way. Minnesota had four players score 20 points - using a 10-player lineup in which only one player is over the age of 26 – and stuck it to the Jazz 111-100. The Wolves pressured Utah into a season-high 24 turnovers, and swiped a season-high 16 steals, just one below Minnesota’s all-time franchise record.

"That was a hell of a win," said head coach Randy Wittman after the contest. "I'm really proud of our guys."

Indeed. While the Wolves were good throughout, they were terrific in the fourth, racing to a 10-point lead by simply flying all over the place on defense and attacking the offensive boards. Instead of balking at Utah’s equalizing attempt midway through the period, Minnesota re-doubled its efforts, scored 39 fourth-quarter points and were rewarded with a great win.

The aforementioned key stretch was a 9-0 run early in the fourth quarter that gave Minnesota an 86-76 lead, one obtained through sheer effort from players one through five. First, Randy Foye canned a three from the corner after grabbing a defensive rebound. Then, Craig Smith battled for not one but two offensive boards, converting the second and subsequently bashing his chest with both hands. Next, new Wolf Kirk Snyder (whose energy was contagious throughout) threw a terrific pass for a Ryan Gomes layup, and finally, Rashad McCants sliced through the Jazz defense and finished at the rim.

Gomes was outstanding with a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Al Jefferson added 22 and 10 of his own to the effort. Randy Foye’s best game of the season included 20 points, three boards and two assists, and Rashad McCants added 20 points off the bench.

To shed a bit more light on the action, take a look at these numbers:

4
Rank of Jazz point guard Deron Williams for highest assist average in the NBA (9.7). Wolves guard Sebastian Telfair ranks 17th with 6.0 per game.

4
Wolves players who scored at least 20 points on the evening: Randy Foye, (20) Rashad McCants, (22) Ryan Gomes (20) and Al Jefferson (22).

17
Wolves all-time record for steals in one game, which came against New Jersey on March 24, 2000. Minnesota had 10 steals in the first half against Utah, including three each from Randy Foye and Rashad McCants.

20 (and 10)
Scoring and rebounding plateau that both Al Jefferson and Carlos Boozer sit above. Boozer (21.3 and 10.8) and Jefferson (21.3 and 11.9) are two of five NBA players at that mark.

22
Utah’s season high in turnovers coming into the game, committed against Denver in an OT game on Feb. 6.

24
Utah’s new season high in turnovers on Tuesday night, thanks primarily to a hustling pack of Wolves that produced 16 steals.

39
Fourth-quarter points scored by the Wolves.

52
First-half points from the Wolves, including 13 off the bench from Rashad McCants and 10 each from Al Jefferson and Randy Foye to give Minnesota a five-point lead.

51
Shooting percentage of Sebastian Telfair in his last five games, during which he’s averaged 13.0 points.

69.2
Utah’s shooting percentage in the first quarter, on 9-of-13 from the field. The Wolves shot 48 percent, but stayed close thanks to nine Jazz turnovers resulting in 11 Minnesota points on 12-of-25 shooting.

83.3
Utah’s winning percentage in its 24 games (20-4) leading into Tuesday’s contest.

1,000
Career assist mark Sebastian Telfair reached on Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks. Telfair notched four more assists against the Jazz.