"There are three games out there we should have won," Harpring said with a disappointed shrug. "We could be even better."

Funny he should mention it, because being even better is exactly what Jerry Sloan has in mind for the season's second half, which begins tonight against the Timberwolves (7 p.m., KJZZ). The Jazz are riding a three-game winning streak which erased much of the damage of their four-game skid leading up to it, and own a five-game lead in the Northwest Division with home games against their two principle pursuers in the next five days.

And while the Jazz, who have surprised the NBA by romping into playoff contention from opening night, are certainly capable of winning those games, Sloan has some second-season resolutions for his team to live up to.

For instance, "I'd like to see us get more efficient in handling the basketball," Sloan said. "We're starting to turn the ball over. We can do a better job with it."

OK, true enough. The Jazz rank 22nd in the league in turnovers per game, though they have done a decent enough job of keeping points-off-turnovers under control. But limiting mistakes is a common characteristic of the NBA's best teams; Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix and San Antonio all rank among the eight teams with the fewest turnovers.

Or as Andrei Kirilenko said Friday, "It's too many possessions with nothing. You have to get something for every possession."

Another fix-it project for Sloan: "I'd like to see us become a better defensive team."

That's another goal with crucial benefits if the Jazz can pull it off. The Jazz allow 99.0 points per game, which ranks 16th among the 30 NBA teams. Again, the Mavs, Pistons and Spurs all rank in the top six, demonstrating the importance of the statistic.

"We definitely can get better defensively," agreed guard Derek Fisher. "We need to help each other, work together more smoothly, so nights like [the spate of 50-point outbursts by opposing guards] don't keep happening. The 50 points aren't important, but it is if we're not winning those games."

One other suggestion from the coach? "It's difficult to keep your confidence up when you lose a game or two. You tend to drop your head, 'Woe is me,' '' Sloan said. "We need to develop a tough mentality and keep our confidence at a high enough level to get through" losing streaks.

On that score, the Jazz may have accomplished quite a lot over the past week. Winning the final three games of the first half - all of them on the road, giving Utah the second-most away victories in the league - will pay off in the weeks ahead, point guard Deron Williams asserted.

"It was definitely a confidence-builder, this road trip," Williams said. "We buckled down, played good defense, executed when we needed to, and we made plays."

After playing seven of the last nine on the road, the Jazz stick around for nine of their next 11 in Salt Lake City

Making the three and a half weeks leading up to the All-Star break an opportune time for the Jazz.

"This is our time, really, to make a push and re-establish ourselves as one of the elite teams," Fisher said. "We can build that confidence as we go into the break, and then when the schedule gets going again, we'll be ready for anything that happens at that point."

pmiller@sltrib.com

Timberwolves at Jazz

At EnergySolutions Arena

Tipoff: 7 p.m.

TV: KJZZ

Radio: 1320 AM, 101.1 FM

Records: Jazz 27-14, Wolves 20-19

Season Series: Wolves lead, 1-0

All-Time: Jazz lead, 49-25

At Utah: Jazz lead, 27-9

Streak: Wolves, 1 win

Last Meeting: Wolves 110, Jazz 103 (Dec. 8)

Line: Jazz by 8

Northwest Division

Utah 27 14 .659 -

Denver 20 17 .541 5

Minnesota 20 19 .513 6

Coming up Timberwolves at Jazz TODAY, 7 p.m., KJZZ Grizzlies at Jazz Wednesday, 7 p.m., FSN

Nuggets at Jazz Friday, 7 p.m., KJZZ