The Portland Trail Blazers walked out of Salt Lake City with a 112-90 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday afternoon, opening their four-game trip with a convincing performance at the Delta Center. It was Portland’s third road victory of the young season, and this one came with a little more bite than the first three.
A big reason for that was the defense. The Blazers forced 20 turnovers and turned them into 20 points, building a nine-point edge in turnover scoring.
They were active, physical and disruptive throughout the afternoon, mixing in some zone in the first half and holding Utah to 37% shooting overall. The Jazz finished 29-for-78 from the field and just 11-for-40 from three-point range.
Utah missed plenty of looks on its own, but Portland made life difficult. Lauri Markkanen went 2 of 11 from deep, Ace Bailey was 1 of 6, Darryn Peterson finished 3 of 8 and Keyonte George went 0 of 4. The Blazers also held up well in one-on-one situations, which gave them control of the game even as their offense did enough to keep stretching the margin.
The night also brought a notable lineup tweak in the wake of Ja Morant’s injury. Micah Nori chose Scoot Henderson over Jrue Holiday in the starting five, a move designed both to give Henderson a boost and to keep Holiday from logging extended minutes. Nori has said since training camp that he wants to avoid building a habit of playing Holiday and Damian Lillard - both 36 - 35 to 40 minutes a night.
Henderson didn’t exactly light it up in his first start of the season, but the opportunity was there for him to make his case. He finished with 14 points, three rebounds, three steals and four turnovers in 31 minutes. His jumper never really found rhythm - he bricked a step-back three on Portland’s second possession - but he still gave the Blazers active defense, passing and useful complementary play while going 4-for-11 from the floor.
Holiday stayed steady in his reserve role, finishing with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes.
That rotation will be worth watching while Morant is out, with the absence expected to last at least a month. For Henderson, though, the path is clear: this is a prime chance to reinforce the idea that he was Portland’s training camp MVP.
Deni Avdija kept making his own case as one of the team’s most reliable pieces. While much of the early attention has gone to Lillard’s return, Morant’s debut and Nori’s new schemes, Avdija has been producing at a high level. He entered Saturday averaging 22.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists while shooting 49% from the field, and he added another strong outing against Utah.
Avdija led the Blazers with 24 points, using fast-break finishes, drives and three-pointers to keep the offense moving. He also grabbed five rebounds, handed out two assists and recorded a steal. He got to the line a season-high 13 times and made 10 of those free throws, while finishing with a team-best plus-26 in a 22-point win.
With the spacing created by Lillard and the playmaking from Morant, Avdija has looked even more efficient. It’s still early, but he’s playing like someone ready for another big season.
In Other News...
Blazers Get An Opening Against A Jazz Team Still Shorthanded
Lauri Markkanens return from a right wrist sprain gives Utah a needed boost heading into its matchup with Portland, but the Jazz are still piecing things together around him. Jusuf Nurkic remains sidelined with a toe issue, and Jaren Jackson Jr. is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks with an MCL tear, leaving the roster thinner than the Blazers would prefer to see from an opponent trying to steady itself.
For Portland, the opening is there to press the advantage against a team still working through injury trouble and lineup uncertainty. Utah rookie Darryn Peterson is also in the early stages of adjusting to the NBA, with the coaching staff pushing him to be more aggressive, while the broader Western Conference picture keeps shifting around them, including Christian Brauns recent career night for Denver. [Read more 🡒]