Forget about February and that superfluous NBA All-Star Game. The Timberwolves on Saturday night positioned themselves firmly for May and the NBA playoffs by returning Terrell Brandon to the starting lineup for the first time in six weeks, and they were rewarded with a 103-80 victory over Atlanta at Target Center.

Saying it was time to get back to the lineup that started the season's first 22 games and that theoretically will be the foundation of the franchise's first playoff success, Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders called upon Brandon four games after Brandon had returned from missing 16 games because of a knee injury.

All Brandon's presence meant on Saturday night against Atlanta was this: When he was on the floor, the Wolves outscored the Hawks by 42 points. When he wasn't, Atlanta outscored them by 19.