MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Minnesota Timberwolves are playing their best basketball of the season despite not being at full strength.

But they've been in this position before, and none of their hot streaks of the past few years led to anything better than a first-round defeat in the playoffs.

Two years ago, Minnesota was 30-10, on top of the Midwest Division and owned one of the NBA's best records. The Timberwolves stumbled into and out of the All-Star break, however, and wound up with another low seed.

``You know why we had that slide?'' coach Flip Saunders said. ``Injuries.''

It was only one, but sure enough _ point guard Terrell Brandon went down that February and never played again.

The reasons vary, but the Wolves have had a stretch in just about each of the past seven seasons suggesting they're among the league's elite. So what's to say this one is any different?

Well, this is a completely different team, with 10 of the 14 players currently on the payroll new. Plus, Minnesota has played most of this season without three of its top six.

They're slowly getting healthy, which has the Timberwolves excited about the possibilities.

Troy Hudson returned from a nasty ankle sprain Monday night, and swingman Wally Szczerbiak is eyeing a return from a sore foot in early February. Center Michael Olowokandi, out after knee surgery, is penciled in for a second-half comeback.

``Once we get World (Szczerbiak) back, once we get Michael back, this is going to be something fun,'' said Sam Cassell, whose arrival along with Latrell Sprewell's have given Kevin Garnett more than he could've asked for.

Garnett was fourth in the league in scoring with 24.5 points per game, and Cassell was 12th with 20.9, entering Tuesday's games.

The Wolves (27-12) lead San Antonio by 1{ games in the Midwest and trail only Sacramento in the Western Conference. They've been gutting out some not-so-pretty wins against grinding teams, gearing themselves well toward a smooth second half if Szczerbiak and Olowokandi return as advertised.

That's the burning question, though. How is Saunders going to spread out the minutes? Trenton Hassell has been a pleasant surprise in Szczerbiak's stead, as has Oliver Miller as a fill-in for Olowokandi. Hudson won't find nearly as much playing time as he got last season as the Wolves bring him up to speed.

``Some roles will change, but this should help us from a team standpoint,'' Saunders said.

But how about from an individual standpoint?

``Minutes is not my concern,'' Hudson said. ``They'll be there.''

Szczerbiak said he doesn't care, either.

``Just go in there and do what's asked of you,'' he said. ``We're a team. We've got great players on this team. I just want to go out there and contribute to our success.''

Hudson, who shined in Minnesota's playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers last season, is a huge boost to the lineup. One thing the Wolves have been missing is a true 3-point shooter, something he and Szczerbiak can both do well.

He'll give defenses something to think about while giving the 34-year-old Cassell some valuable time on the bench.

``Troy's going to run off some 12-point quarters himself,'' Cassell said. ``I can't wait to see it happen so I can get more and more rest and be even more fresher the last six, seven minutes of the game.''

This team has talked about good chemistry in the past, but it's hard to imagine the players have gotten along this well.

``We've got a lot of guys with a lot of passion,'' Sprewell said. ``It's nice to see that. We're just having fun.''