Utah Jazz keep their playoffs bid alive with a 102-97 win over Portland Trail Blazers – NBA Recap
On Monday, the Utah Jazz, visiting the Portland Trail Blazers, ended the game with an 8-0 run to carve out a 102-97 triumph at the Rose Garden.
Portland was leading 97-94 with two minutes to go, but went score-less on their final five possessions to lose the game. Raymond Felton, the Portland Trail Blazers point guard, had a miserable night and scored only 4 points on
a 2-of-10 shooting from the floor. He also committed a costly turnover in the final minutes of the 4th when Portland were leading by 97-96.
Paul Millsap led all Utah scorers with 31 points going 14-of-20 and also grabbed 11 rebounds. Gordon Hayward chipped in with 20 points while Devin Harris played only 13 minutes before twisting his ankle in the second quarter and
had to leave the game.
Wesley Matthews scored 33 points for Portland and LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and 7 rebounds.
Portland led 35-22 at the end of the first quarter but Utah went on a 23-6 streak in the final minutes of the first half to cut into Portland’s lead. The first half ended at 57-54 to Portland.
Utah then started the 3rd quarter with a 17-3 run to take the lead 71-60, but the Trail Blazers had a run of their own, in which they came back with a 9 unanswered points to make the score 69-71. The quarter ended with
the score 83-78, Utah leading by 5.
Portland played very well early in the 4th to make a 10-0 run, coming from a 7 point deficit to take a 3 point lead at 97-94. But things started going wrong for them from there on. First, Raymond Felton turned the ball
over when the ball hit his toe and went out of bounds. Then, with 26 seconds left in the game and Utah ahead 98-97, Jamaal Tinsley stole a pass from Nicolas Batum while inbounding the ball to Raymond Felton.
All in all, Portland failed to convert their final five possessions and Utah won 102-97.
“It's hard to swallow a (loss) like that. To be a point guard and make a turnover like that at the end of the game, it's mindboggling for me. I’m upset at myself, more so than anybody else. I could (not) care less about anybody
else being upset with me. I'm mad at myself about what happened. I'll try to put it behind me -- try. It's going to be hard to sleep tonight" said Raymond Felton about the turnover.
Portland shot 12-for-22 from the three point line, exceptionally well when compared against Utah who shot 4-for-15 from the same distance. Both teams were quite balanced in terms of rebounds and assists, but Utah was able to get
into the paint more often than Portland, scoring 56 points from inside the paint compared to 34 by Portland.
Both teams are fighting for a spot in the playoffs. After this match, Utah have a 28-26 win-loss record while Portland are 25-29. Houston, currently 8th in the West, are 29-25. Hence, Utah is very close to securing a
place in the playoffs, with only a few games left in the regular season.
The upcoming games are important for both teams if they want to reach the playoffs.
"We needed this win bad, and it showed how we played out there. We got down big early, but they will not to lose, the will to make it to that next level to get to the playoffs -- it came out” said Paul Millsap of Utah after the
game.
It will be interesting to watch how these two teams play their remaining matches and who is finally able to achieve that coveted 8th spot in the western conference that will guarantee a place in the playoffs.
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