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The victory snapped a two-game losing streak --
the Jazz stumbled on the road at Dallas and Phoenix -- and
secured the 23rd consecutive victory at Vivint Arena for
NBA-leading Utah.
Four other Jazz players scored in double figures -- Joe Ingles
(13), Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic (11), and Georges Niang
(10) -- as Utah bounced back 24 hours after a tough overtime
loss to the Suns.
Damian Lillard topped Portland with 23 points and CJ McCollum
scored 19, but the Blazers fell for the third time in four games
after a disastrous seven-minute spurt midway through the second
half.
The third quarter started well for the Blazers. Lillard hit a 3
to open the second-half scoring, and Norman Powell added an
old-fashioned three-point play a moment later to put Portland up
62-56.
It was tied, 68-68, midway through the third before the Jazz
offense went berserk. Mitchell hit a jumper to give the Jazz a
lead, and Utah scored 25 points in the final six and a half
minutes of the quarter while holding the Blazers to just four
points until Carmelo Anthony hit a late 3.
That 40-19 advantage in the third quarter put Utah in excellent
position to simply cruise to the final buzzer for another home
win.
The fact that Conley played was a boon for the Jazz. He hadn't
been suiting up on the second end of back-to-back sets for
months, but Utah was desperate for a win against a potential
Western Conference playoff foe and the Jazz were without Sixth
Man of the Year candidate Jordan Clarkson (ankle sprain) so he
played.
Utah, which has more 3-pointers than any other team this season,
did struggle for the third straight game from outside, though.
The Jazz only connected on 12 of 42 3-pointers but still managed
to shoot 45.3 percent overall.
The Jazz used a 58-41 rebounding edge to their favor as they
played aggressively on the glass.
Portland struggled against Utah's defense, shooting just 39.6
percent. Both Lillard and McCollum were 8-for-21 from the field
and combined on 6-of-22 shooting from 3-point range.
--Field Level Media
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