Jazz star Karl Malone, sidelined by flu-like symptoms two nights earlier, is back.
     The front-burner issue of whether the Jazz really are, though, is another matter.

John Stockton's layup is beyond the reach of Minnesota's Felipe Lopez. The T-Wolves couldn't catch the Jazz in Utah's win.

Andy King, Associated Press
     Utah beat Minnesota 96-89 Sunday, ending a five-game road trip on a high note and extending the fast-fading but still postseason-bound Timberwolves' losing streak to seven straight.
     More importantly for the 36-30 Jazz, who avoided a four-game season series sweep by the 40-26 T-Wolves, they bolstered their hold on the eighth and final playoff position in the NBA's Western Conference.
     But has Utah, which has now won two in a row, shaken the funk enveloping them in a four-game losing streak that ended with Friday night's win over Detroit?
     Jazz players aren't sure.
     "I hope so," Bryon Russell said, "but I'm not going to jump to conclusions."
     "It's probably too early (to tell)," Malone added after scoring a team-high 27 points and pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds. "But it means a lot to win the last two games of the trip."
     If nothing else, Sunday's victory does give the Jazz something to build on as they prepare for their final 16 regular-season games, including a stretch, beginning Tuesday night vs. Detroit at the Delta Center, in which they play five of their next six at home.
     After shooting just 37.2 percent from the field during their losing streak, the Jazz have hit 49 percent in their last two ? 40-of-80 vs. Detroit and 34-of-71 against Minnesota.
     That's encouraging to coach Jerry Sloan, who suggested the biggest reason for the Jazz's improvement is the way they're running the floor.
     "I can't make them run the floor. I can't get a whip out there and start doing that. They have to run the floor on their own," Sloan said. "And until they figure that out ? they go their own way, a lot of times. We had a lot of that (Sunday) to start out with. Everybody kind of went their own way."