With LaMarcus Aldridge out with a sprained ankle and time quickly running out to make a move for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers traveled to Salt Lake City to face their division rival, the Utah Jazz. Wesley Matthews provided 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field, and Damian Lillard chipped in 17 points with five assists, but sloppy play by the Blazers kept the home team in control as the Jazz notched a crucial late-season win.
Portland was dominated inside all game by a frontcourt consisting of Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Derrick Favors. The Blazers managed to keep the score relatively close despite turning the ball over 16 times, compared to six by Utah. But the Jazz finally took control late in the third quarter, then cruised to victory in the fourth, winning 112-102.
It was the Blazers’ second loss to Utah in four days after a 105-95 defeat at the Rose Garden Arena last Friday. Utah’s win propelled them past the Los Angeles Lakers for eighth place in the West, two-and-a-half games ahead of the ninth-place Dallas Mavericks. With just seven games left in the regular season and the team faltering as others begin to build momentum down the stretch, the Blazers seem poised for another lottery pick this summer. The season wraps up for Portland on April 17 with a matchup against the Golden State Warriors at the Rose Garden.