NBA: Minnesota 103, Utah 102

SALT LAKE CITY, April 4 (UPI) -- Mike Miller gave Minnesota a three-point lead with 33 seconds left Friday and the Timberwolves held on to produce an unexpected 103-102 win over Utah.

Not only had the Jazz lost just six home games prior to Friday, the second fewest in the Western Conference behind the Los Angeles Lakers, but they need every victory they can get to remain above eighth place.

Utah, however, could not hold off a comeback by Minnesota, which won on the road for only the 11th time this season.

The Jazz, currently holding down the seventh spot in the West, remained one game in front of Dallas -- which suffered a surprising loss of its own Wednesday against Memphis. The eighth-place team must face the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.

Miller's jumper gave Minnesota a 103-100 lead and Deron Williams cut the Utah deficit to one with 27 seconds to go.

After Minnesota's Ryan Gomes missed a 3-point try with the shot clock running down, Williams missed what would have been a game-winning jumper with a second remaining.

Gomes and Rodney Carney both scored 25 for Minnesota, which hit 53 percent of its shots from the field and rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit.

Utah was led by 34 points from Williams.