The Minnesota Timberwolves have had two winning streaks of four games or more this season, but they still encounter roadblocks and face challenges to address. Their 21-12 record still has them in the mix to be a top-three seed in the Western Conference if they can string together some wins soon, but this current road trip doesn't look to be forgiving.

On Wednesday, the Timberwolves match up against the Atlanta Hawks, before having a two-day break, before ending their road trip with a back-to-back. The Hawks have lost their last seven games and haven't been able to gel well since the return of Trae Young, but this Timberwolves team can by no means overlook their opponent.

Luckily for the Timberwolves, they'll be rather clean on their injury report, with Rocco Zikarsky listed as OUT due to being with the G League team on his two-way contract, and Terrence Shannon Jr. listed as OUT due to a left foot injury. Shannon Jr.'s injury situation will be re-evaluated in around one and a half weeks, but he hasn't exactly stepped up like many were hoping this year.

He's scored double-digit points just four times this season, but has had numerous games in between where he's been far from effective. An elite scorer in college with Illinois, Shannon Jr. was expected by some to step up into the Nickeil Alexander-Walker role as a ball-handler off the bench, and that just doesn't look to be the case.

Luckily for Minnesota, Bones Hyland and Jaylen Clark have emerged as the two reserves alongside Naz Reid and Mike Conley, so Shannon Jr. won't have much opportunity to try to prove to the coaching staff that he deserves more opportunity.

The Hawks' injury report features several players, but most of them are on two-way contracts or a G League assignment. The name of note for Atlanta is Trae Young, as the star guard is listed as QUESTIONABLE with a right quad contusion.

As mentioned earlier, the Hawks have cooled down since the return of Young, as they've failed to win a game in December since his return. Overall, on the season, the Hawks are 2-8 when Young plays, compared to 13-11 when he does play. Therefore, it has sparked trade rumors as of late that the All-Star could be on the move.

Regardless of whether Young suits up or not, the focus for the Timberwolves will be on forward Jalen Johnson, who is averaging 26.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 10.2 assists over his last 12 contests.

Tip-off in Atlanta is set for 3:00 p.m. EST.