The Wolves have won seven consecutive games and are have the best record in the Western Conference.

Two more victories -- against Utah at home Monday and at Memphis on Wednesday -- and coach Flip Saunders' team will be the No. 1 seed in the West for the playoffs.

Saunders says the return to form of center Michael Olowokandi and swingman Wally Szczerbiak deserves some credit for the team's recent success. "Wally has given us an added dimension," Saunders said. "With Trenton Hassell, it kind of gives us a two-headed small forward. Trenton can lock up their best player defensively to start games, which helps keep you in the game. And then Wally comes in off the bench.

"It's helped Sam [Cassell] a lot, with Wally, because teams have tried to put bigger guys on Sam because he has the ability to shoot over most point guards. When they try to put bigger guys on Sam, we've been able to put Wally in there and Wally has been able to take advantage of smaller players guarding him so that they have to go back to more natural matchups."

In the past four games, Szczerbiak is shooting 47 percent, averaging 13.5 points and 3.8 rebounds.

In the case of Olowokandi, he has shot 38 percent and averaged 9.3 points and 11.5 rebounds in April.

"So our rebounding is increasing, we're protecting the paint more," Saunders said of Olowokandi.

"The biggest thing that he's done defensively . . . the last 12 games, teams are shooting about 38 percent against us which is pretty unbelievable," Saunders said. "I even told Wally Friday after the game that he's probably improved as much defensively from last year to this year than anything else he's done in the four years that he's been here."