The frustration would be so much greater if the pattern hadn't become so maddeningly familiar in recent seasons. Only the Jazz could follow a victory over the defending champion Lakers by losing for the second time in 10 days to the 4-21 Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Jazz bid farewell before leaving on their annual pre-Christmas trip with a four-possession meltdown in the last three minutes, setting the stage for the Wolves to take a 110-108 victory on rookie Jonny Flynn's layup with 3.0 seconds left.

So ended the Jazz's seven-game winning streak at EnergySolutions Arena and so went much of the momentum they hoped to take on the road. Their next opponent, the 2-22 New Jersey Nets, all of a sudden look like the 72-win Chicago Bulls.

Deron Williams finished with 38 points and 13 assists -- only three points shy of his career high -- but acknowledged after the game that the Jazz (14-10) can't overcome their tendency to play up or down to the level of competition.

"We definitely have a problem with that," Williams said. "These are the games you really should get up for. You know you're going to get up for the Lakers, TNT games, games like that. These are the games that should be wins."

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said as much at the pregame shootaround, with the Jazz coming off a 3-1 week in which they beat title favorites San Antonio, Orlando and the Lakers and looking to avenge a 108-101 loss to Minnesota on Dec. 5.

"You find out who you are when you have to play teams like this," Sloan said. "If you just want to be on television, then you probably want to play well against the good teams. But if you want to be good all the time, you play against everybody."

His team went just 21-for-37 at the foul line against Minnesota, and after the game, Sloan was left saying: "For us, it's a tough loss, but that's the way this business is. It's humbling every day you go to work."

The Jazz trailed 91-82 after Wayne Ellington opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, but appeared on the way to victory after Williams stripped Ramon Sessions and Ronnie Brewer dunked for a 106-103 lead with 2:40 left.

But they unraveled from there as the Timberwolves improbably joined Houston, Sacramento and Oklahoma City on the list of teams to win in Utah this season.

Williams missed a jumper and Paul Millsap committed a turnover as he tried to lob a pass to Williams inside. Williams drove and missed a runner and Carlos Boozer fouled out with 26.7 seconds left, plowing into Corey Brewer for a charge.

The Jazz tied the score at 108-108 with 16.5 seconds left as Williams hit Andrei Kirilenko for a dunk after Mehmet Okur missed a three-pointer. But the Wolves put the ball in Flynn's hands and the Syracuse product delivered the victory.

With Kevin Love setting a screen on the opposite side, Flynn drove right and blew past Williams, flipping in a layup as Wesley Matthews and Okur tried to help. Flynn finished with a season-high 28 points, including four three-pointers.

"This team could have beaten a lot of teams tonight," Sloan said of the Wolves. "They could have beaten a lot of teams the night they played us up there. That's the thing you've got to be aware of."

He added that he saw "some of the very same things" from the Jazz's loss in Minnesota as far as running the floor, defense and rebounding.

"Anytime you have those things happen," Sloan said, "it doesn't make any difference what the uniform says on it, you're getting beat."

rsiler@sltrib.com