PORTLAND, Ore. -- With a January schedule loaded with home games, the Portland Trail Blazers were hoping to put together their best stretch of the season.

Mission accomplished.

Guards CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard each scored 21 points as the Trail Blazers held off a late rally by the Minnesota Timberwolves to post a 96-93 victory Sunday night at the Moda Center.

Lillard also dished out eight assists for the Blazers, who have a four-game winning streak for the first time this season. Portland (23-26) prevailed for the eighth time in 10 outings -- six of the wins coming at home.

"We knew we had some winnable games," Lillard said. "It was just a matter of taking care of business."

Center Karl-Anthony Towns collected 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who lost their fourth straight and fell for the 15th time in 17 contests. Guard Andrew Wiggins contributed 15 points and nine rebounds, and guard Ricky Rubio had 15 points and nine assists for Minnesota (14-35).

After starting the season 1-8 in games decided by five points or fewer, Portland has won four in a row in that category.

"That's big, that we're winning those games now," said Portland forward Meyers Leonard, who came off the bench to contribute 13 points and six rebounds in 32 minutes. "I feel confident in our ability to close out games.

"It didn't matter if it was San Antonio or Minnesota in here tonight. A win is a win, and we have four in a row."

Portland led 76-74 when Leonard keyed an 8-0 run for an 84-74 lead with five minutes left. The Wolves cut it to 92-87 on Rubio's jumper with 44.9 seconds left.

Rubio then knocked down a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left to trim the difference to 92-90, but McCollum sank a pair of foul shots with 10.8 seconds on the clock for a 94-90 lead. Lillard closed things out with two more at the line with 5.2 ticks left. Minnesota forward Tayshaun Prince hit a meaningless 3-pointer at the final buzzer.

"It's the little things that add up in a game like that," Towns said. "We did a great job the whole game at making sure we were playing defense at a high level, but it's those little details that make the difference."

Lillard had 10 points and five assists to stake Portland to a 48-39 lead at halftime. Towns scored 10 points and had six rebounds in the half.

Minnesota scored the first six points of the third quarter to close to within 48-45. The Wolves took the lead at 57-56 on a hook shot by forward Gorgui Dieng, but Leonard answered with a 3-pointer to push the Blazers back ahead 59-57. Guard Zach Levine's three-point play gave the Wolves a 65-61 advantage, and they went into the fourth quarter with a 65-63 edge.

Portland is a half-game ahead of Utah (21-25) in the battle for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs. The Blazers are 1 1/2 games behind the Houston Rockets (25-25), who are in seventh place.

"We can keep moving up," Leonard said. "It's about continuing to believe in ourselves, period -- that's it. That's all we need.

"We've known since the summer we have a good group of talent, top to bottom -- guys who can do a lot of things. It's cool to see it start to come together. But we haven't even really scratched the surface to what we can do."

NOTES: Minnesota was without G Kevin Martin (wrist) and F Kevin Garnett (knee). ... Portland has won eight straight at home against the Timberwolves. ... Portland's reserves outscored their Minnesota counterparts 40-22. ... Portland coach Terry Stotts said the way the Blazers have played through their past 10 games has been equal to the results. "It's good to win games, but it's how we're playing that's just as important," Stotts said. "We've been in a nice little rhythm offensively, and we need to continue that. But our focus has been on defense, and we're still making strides. the test for us is being consistent." ... Stotts saw Minnesota C Karl-Anthony Towns play in consecutive years at the annual Nike Hoop Summit as a high schooler. "He was such a young kid," Stotts said. "I wouldn't have predicted at that time he'd have gone on to do the things he is doing. He is a terrific player. He has filled out, he has matured physically, and he is probably the lead candidate for Rookie of the Year."