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 Guard Wesley Matthews scored 24 points, guard Damian Lillard
chipped in 21 points — all in the first half — and forward
LaMarcus Aldridge collected 20 points and 15 rebounds in Portland's
130-98 rout of Utah Friday night at the Moda Center.
It was the fourth straight victory for the Trail Blazers (17-3), who
made 17 of 23 attempts from beyond the 3-point line to set an NBA
record for percentage with at least 15 makes (73.9).
"A lot of luck," said Matthews, who was 4 for 6 on 3-point shots.
"We were feeling it, apparently."
Portland shot .554 from the field, making 15 of 21 shots in both the
first and third quarters.
Leading 67-56 at halftime, Portland outscored Utah (4-17) 40-13 in
the third quarter to put the game on ice.
"We shot the ball really well at the start, but we had to pick it up
at the defensive end of the floor," said Lillard, who was 7-for-9
from the field, including 5-for-6 from 3-point territory. "That was
the emphasis at halftime. The game changed when we started to defend
in the third quarter."
None of the Portland starters played in the fourth quarter. The
Blazers' lead was 42 points before Utah scored the final 10 points
of the game.
Guard Alec Burks came off the bench to score 16 points for the Jazz.
Portland scored the first 10 points of the third quarter to go on
top 77-56. The Blazers hit the 100-point mark on Matthews' 3-pointer
with 1:31 left in the quarter. By that time, it was 102-65 and soon
thereafter, Portland coach Terry Stotts emptied his bench.
"It snowballed on us," said Utah's Gordon Hayward, who scored 10
points. "We fought our way back and got (the deficit) to single
digits in the second quarter. Then (in the third quarter the
Blazers) turned it up to 20 or 25 like immediately. They shot at a
ridiculous clip from 3-point range. It's pretty disappointing."
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Lillard was 7-for-9 from the field — 5-for-6 on 3-point
attempts — in the first half as Portland carried a 67-56
advantage into the break.
The 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year scored 10 of the first 14
points for the Blazers, who jumped to a 22-10 lead midway
through the first quarter. They extended the advantage to 39-22
when Lillard banked in a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to end
the period. The Blazers made 15 of 21 shots from the field
through the game's first 12 minutes.
Portland's edge increased to 45-25 early in the second quarter.
The Jazz cut the margin to 48-40 with seven minutes left in the
quarter, but the Blazers upped the margin to 11 at intermission.
"Our 3-point shooters are good," Stotts said. "You don't expect
to shoot that well, but our 3's are taken in rhythm. They're
good shots for the guys taking them. When those guys are taking
open 3's, there's a good chance they're going in."
NOTES: Portland set a franchise record with its 17, 3-point
field goals (the previous record was 16 set four times). ... The
Blazers had their highest-scoring first quarter and first half
of the season. The 67 points were the most they have scored in
any half. ... The Blazers have won at least 17 of their first 20
games for the third time in franchise history (19 in 1990-91, 17
in 1977-78). ... G Damian Lillard made at least two 3-pointers
in an NBA-high 18 games and is the first Blazer to make multiple
3-pointers in 12 straight games since Damon Stoudamire in 2005.
... F LaMarcus Aldridge got his 10th double-double and became
the first player with 450 points, 200 rebounds and 25 steals in
his team's first 20 games since Boston's Kevin Garnett and
Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki did it in 2004-05. ... The Jazz were
without F Marvin Williams, who will miss his second straight
game with a heel injury. He is listed as day-to-day.
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