NBA Game Summary - Portland at Utah
Salt Lake City, UT (SportsNetwork.com) - Damian Lillard posted 23 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds and the Portland Trail Blazers ended their losing streak with a 92-89 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points and nine rebounds and Dorell Wright scored 15 off the bench for Portland, which had dropped a season-high five straight games.
"I don't think it's a big win like we just beat Golden State or something like that, but it's a big win because of the five-game losing streak," Lillard said.
The Jazz led by 10 entering the fourth quarter and 11 following Dante Exum's 3 early in the period. But consecutive Wright triples and a Joel Freeland layup at the other end had Portland within five less than three minutes in.
Portland chipped away and took the lead on Lillard's three-point play at 1:31. The lead was three after Aldridge got behind the defense for a transition layup in the final seconds.
Out of a timeout, Portland fouled Joe Ingles, who made 1-of-2 from the stripe. Aldridge secured the rebound on the intentional missed second shot, and left the door open by also splitting his pair of foul shots.
But Trey Burke was well covered on the final inbounds pass, which went to Favors, whose last-second 3 caromed off the backboard and missed at the horn.
Favors tallied 26 points and 13 rebounds while Burke scored 22 points for the Jazz, who were without leading scorer Gordon Hayward (shoulder).
"We had some breakdowns, obviously, in the fourth quarter defensively," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said.
Portland was sluggish in the first quarter. After scoring seven quick points, the Blazers mustered just five over the final 9:29 of the period.
Utah's 21-12 lead quickly vanished, with Steve Blake tying the score at 23 four minutes into the second. Portland wouldn't take its first lead since the opening moments, however, until a Lillard triple early in the third quarter.
Neither team led by more than three during a back-and-forth third until Ingles and Ian Clark provided a spark off the Utah bench. Ingles scored on consecutive possessions and Clark potted a 3-pointer during Utah's 9-0 run. After Aldridge ended the spurt with a turnaround jumper, the Jazz closed the frame with six straight to take a 65-55 lead into the fourth.