Wolves stronger in mind, and in standings, heading into second Western swing

Just a little more than a month ago the Timberwolves headed out west for a five-game road trip dealing with both general soreness and private frustrations.

Five games and five losses later the Wolves were 4-9. Jimmy Butler was soon gone, Robert Covington and Dario Saric arrived and things couldn’t be more different.

The Wolves are headed out west again. Portland and Golden State will start the four-game trip. The schedule looks similar. The team doesn’t.

The statistical U-turn the Wolves have taken is well-documented. While going 9-3 since the trade, the Wolves are first in the league in opponents’ shooting percentage (42.2), second in field goals allowed (36.8) and rebounds allowed (42.1).

“It’…