Preview: The Sixers' season-best four-game winning streak ended Tuesday against Dallas, but they've won six of their last eight games and 13 of their past 18. The Sixers beat the Wolves 107-87 at Target Center last month and are looking for their first season series sweep since 2005-06.

Players to watch: Elton Brand, the guy who the Sixers couldn't give away because of his big contract, is averaging team highs of 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.14 blocks. He's also shooting 52.3 percent from the floor, 79.2 percent from the line and is averaging 1.1 steals and 1.4 assists a game ... One's a starter, the other a reserve, but one matchup to watch is at point guard. The Wolves took Jonny Flynn, who is coming off a career-high 14 assists in Wednesday's victory at Detroit, sixth overall in the 2009 draft and the Sixers selected Jrue Holiday 17th overall. The youngest Sixer at age 20, Holiday is averaging 13.8 points, 6.3 assists and four rebounds a game.

Injuries: G Martell Webster (back) and C Darko Milicic (family matter) did not accompany the team on this three-game trip that ends Saturday in Washington and are not expected to play.

JERRY ZGODA