SALT LAKE CITY -- The Timberwolves are figuring out how to impose their defensive will for 48 minutes. The result is that Minnesota is becoming an opponent other NBA teams don't want to face late in the season.

A 107-80 victory over Utah on Wednesday night offered the latest evidence of that ability. The Jazz shot 35 of 90 (38.9 percent) overall, while Minnesota finished at 38 of 79 (50 percent). Utah also coughed up 14 turnovers and trailed by double digits throughout the second half.

"It's just the discipline," Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns said. "We're executing no matter what happens. We're sticking to our principles, and that's a sign of a team growing."

Towns scored 21 points and collected 15 rebounds to lead Timberwolves. Andrew Wiggins added 20 points, and Shabazz Muhammad chipped in 18 for Minnesota. Nemanja Bjelica scored 13 points and collected 11 rebounds to notch his second consecutive double-double.

The Timberwolves (25-36) won for the fourth time in five games. Utah is the fourth opponent in the past seven games that Minnesota managed to hold under 90 points.

It has Minnesota poised to make a serious push to make the playoffs for the first time since 2003-04.

"I feel like we want it more," Wiggins said. "We want to play defense more. We been doing a lot in practice (and) shootaround, going through it. I think it's muscle memory now, starting to kick in."

Dante Exum scored 15 points and Gordon Hayward added 13 to lead the Jazz. Derrick Favors chipped in 10 points and 12 rebounds. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak in the series for Utah, which dropped its second game in a row overall.

Utah (37-24) looked lifeless on offense throughout the first quarter. The Jazz missed 11 of their first 15 shot attempts and shot just 16 of 49 (32.7 percent) from the floor before halftime.

"It was just one of those games where we weren't cutting and we weren't trying to get open doing that extra effort," Exum said.

Utah's struggles opened the door for Minnesota to seize control. The Timberwolves staked out a 27-16 lead early in the second quarter after Tyus Jones turned steals into baskets on consecutive possessions. The first one Jones took in for a layup, and with the second, he set up a Muhammad dunk.

Minnesota's second unit stepped up with critical stops and baskets throughout the first half to keep the Jazz offense out of harmony.

"The bench was terrific again," Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I thought they played with good energy. There was good chemistry."

Utah finally generated some rhythm on offense as the second quarter progressed. Three-pointers from Exum and Joe Ingles bookended a 10-0 run that cut Minnesota's lead to 27-26. The Jazz struggled to get over the hump.

The Timberwolves used an 8-0 run -- highlighted by a 3-pointer from Towns and another Muhammad dunk on back-to-back possessions -- to rebuild a 39-30 lead. Minnesota extended it to double digits again when Ricky Rubio hit a pair of free throws, Wiggins followed with an open 3-pointer and Muhammad made a layup to give the Timberwolves a 51-35 halftime lead.

It didn't get better for the Jazz after halftime. Minnesota was never threatened with a rally throughout the second half. The Timberwolves led by as many as 30 points, taking a 95-65 lead on a dunk from Muhammad with 4:24 remaining.

"It's hard to pinpoint one thing," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "We didn't have energy and we didn't execute."

NOTES: Jazz G Rodney Hood did not play because of right knee soreness. Hood missed the last seven games before the All-Star break after sustaining a bone bruise and Grade 1 LCL sprain in the same knee. ... With his three steals against Utah, Timberwolves F Andrew Wiggins has accumulated 24 steals in his past 11 starts. ... Jazz F Gordon Hayward set a career high for scoring average in a single month during February. Hayward averaged 25.5 points per game while recording 30-plus points five times. ... Minnesota C Karl-Anthony Towns notched his 46th double-double of the season. He also scored at least 20 points and collected at least 10 rebounds for the 33rd time this season. Both marks rank in the top three in the NBA.