Bring on the regular season.
The Portland Trail Blazers concluded their four-game exhibition season with another defeat Thursday night, falling to the Utah Jazz, 132-129, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
In a fast-paced, high-scoring, back-and-forth tussle, the Blazers (1-3) were outclassed down the stretch by the rebuilding Jazz (1-3), who ended the preseason with their first victory.
Jerami Grant had his most prodigious performance of the exhibition season, Jrue Holiday was impressive on both ends of the floor and the Blazers unleashed a barrage of three-pointers. But it wasn’t enough to topple Utah, who closed the game with a 13-4 run, even though Portland played multiple starters until the final horn.
TOP PERFORMERS
Grant finished with 32 points and six rebounds, Holiday added 24 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and two steals and Shaedon Sharpe overcame shaky long-range shooting (2 for 9) to score 20 points. Grant and Holiday were part of an electric three-point shooting performance by the Blazers, who made 21 of 54 on the night.
Nine different Blazers drained at least one three, but Holiday and Grant were especially hot — Holiday finished 6 of 9 from long range, while Grant went 5 of 12.
The Jazz had contributions from up and down their lineup, but Keyonte George and Walker Kessler did much of the damage. George finished with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Kessler nearly recorded a triple-double, producing 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in 26 minutes. He also had two blocks and two steals.
IT WAS OVER WHEN
The Blazers seemed to be heading toward a solid win in their exhibition final before the Jazz inexplicably took over down the stretch. When Holiday connected with Grant for a two-handed dunk with 3:09 left, the Blazers led 125-119 and were cruising.
But they managed just one more field goal the rest of the game.
Utah closed with a 13-4 run, scoring the final seven points of the night. Svi Mykhailiuk hit the biggest shot with 21.4 seconds left, capping a wild sequence with a clutch three-pointer to give the Jazz a 130-129 edge. He had missed a pair of threes in the final minute before nailing the go-ahead shot, which came after Mo Bamba rebounded one of Mykhailiuk’s misses.
Caleb Love bricked a three on the other end, then Bamba made two free throws with 5.5 seconds left to push Utah’s lead to 132-129.
Holiday had trouble inbounding the ball around the long arms of Mamba on the final possession, and when his pass bounced away from Sharpe, Grant scooped it up near the Jazz logo and heaved a desperation three. It missed left, ending the game.
INJURIES MOUNT
Another day, another injury for the Blazers.
A team that entered the game featuring multiple injured rotation players lost another one when Deni Avdija tweaked his back in the first half and did not return after halftime. The Blazers said he was dealing with upper back stiffness.
It’s unclear when Avdija suffered the ailment, but he started and played 15 minutes, 49 seconds, including the final 2:38 of the second quarter. Injury aside, it was an up-and-down night for the talented forward, who produced eight points, three assists and three rebounds, but made just 3 of 9 shots, including 0 of 3 three-pointers.
Avdija was the second Portland starter to miss time Thursday. Toumani Camara, who has been sidelined since last week with right knee soreness, was sidelined for the consecutive exhibition game. Coach Chauncey Billups said earlier this week that his starting forward would probably play if it were the regular season. Instead, Toumani rested another night, meaning he did not play in the final 10 quarters of the preseason.
Meanwhile, rotation players Scoot Henderson (left hamstring tear), Robert Williams III (return to competition) and Matisse Thybulle (right knee soreness) have missed the entire preseason.
NEXT UP
The Blazers open the regular season Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Moda Center. Tipoff is 7 p.m.
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