Timberwolves forward Gary Trent left the locker room prior to tipoff Sunday at the Target Center and stuck his right thumb in the air, predicting, "It's over today.''

He was talking about his team's two-week slump.

By the end of the Wolves' 96-89 loss to the Utah Jazz, however, the words meant something different: Like the end of his team's goal of winning the Midwest Division. Or at least the probable end of home-court advantage in playoffs.

Oh, the Wolves (40-26), now 10-16 since beginning the season 30-10, are still numerically in the picture to finish in one of the top four spots in the Western Conference, and forward Kevin Garnett said his team still can do it.

"It's not too late for us to make a run,'' he said. "We can't change that focus, we can't change that confidence, we can't change that mindset. We have to still keep that in our minds: That we can still win some games and we can still put ourselves in the position to where we're successful in the playoffs.''

But it will be an uphill battle.