NBA: Portland open with a 17-0 run and iron-clad defence to smother Utah

Two days after losing to Memphis, Portland rediscovered what has been its strength all season: a defence that harasses the ball-handler. The Blazers took the ball off Utah 20 times, including 13 steals, and won the rebounding battle 48 to 37. At 4 wins and 1 defeat, they trail only Memphis and Houston for the best start in the Western Conference.

The Jazz, for their part, got Lauri Markkanen back after he missed two games with a sprained wrist, but the forward finished 3 of 14. It was a fourth straight defeat for Utah, now 1 win and 5 defeats, and its lowest points total of the season.

Six minutes without scoring

Utah had actually started in front, 7-6, on a dunk by Ace Bailey with 8 min 30 left in the first quarter. The Jazz did not score another point for nearly six minutes. Avdija at the line, Lillard from three-point range after three free throws, Jrue Holiday from mid-range, Avdija driving to the basket and then from behind the arc: 23-7 with 3 min 29 left, with two Holiday free throws completing the 17-0. Markkanen and Keyonte George, the Jazz's top two offensive options, missed their first nine shots between them.

End of the first quarter: 27-18. A 7-0 run, opened by a three from Vit Krejci and closed by one from Toumani Camara, stretched the lead to sixteen, 34-18, in the first two minutes of the second quarter.

Avdija lives at the line

The second quarter belonged to the Israeli forward. Avdija got to the line again and again, making 10 of 11 before the break, and scored five in a row in the final minute, a layup, a jump shot and a free throw, to send Portland to the locker room 17 points ahead, 59-42. He already had 19.

Utah never put together a run to get back in it. Camara hit two threes after the break, 65-44, then Lillard added a ten-metre pull-up jumper, 68-44, the biggest lead of the night at that stage. The Jazz answered with a 6-0 run, and that was all. The Blazers ended the third quarter at 88-64 on a Camara three with six seconds left, then led by 26, 90-64, at the start of the final period. Utah won the fourth quarter 26-24, when the result was no longer in doubt.

Men of the match

Avdija finished with 24 points, 6 of 12 from the field, 10 of 13 from the line, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 30 minutes, with a plus-minus of +32. Lillard was less accurate, 6 of 17, 3 of 10 from deep, but scored 22 points, took 5 rebounds, handed out 4 assists and blocked George in the fourth quarter. His 5 turnovers are a reminder that the backcourt remains fragile without Ja Morant.

Camara scored 14 points, 12 of them from three (4 of 9), with 2 steals. Holiday contributed 14 points in 22 minutes off the bench, 4 of 6. Starter Scoot Henderson racked up 14 points, 3 steals and 4 turnovers. Donovan Clingan grabbed 9 rebounds in 15 minutes, and Yang Hansen drained two threes late on.

For Utah, rookie Darryn Peterson was the only one to live up to his billing: 16 points, 6 of 15, 3 of 8 from deep, 4 assists. Markkanen ended with 13 points, 2 of 11 from three, George with 8 points, 2 of 10. Brice Sensabaugh added 12 points off the bench. The Nigerian Josh Okogie played 14 minutes without scoring, 0 of 1.

Three takeaways

Portland wins through defence, not shooting. 31 of 76 from the field, 16 of 44 from deep, just 16 assists. What made the difference was the 20 turnovers forced from the Jazz, including four in a row in the third quarter, and the 34 free throws made from 41.

The bench holds up without Morant or Sharpe. Morant, hurt in the hamstring against Memphis, will not return before the end of November, and Shaedon Sharpe is out until spring after knee surgery. Holiday, Krejci and Hansen provided 25 points off the bench.

Utah lose the ball and lose the game. The Jazz are at 20 turnovers, having already suffered from this problem all through the start of the season. At 11 of 40 from behind the arc and 29 of 78 from the field, they have no way of making up for it.

The SNA view

Portland has found an identity before having a full squad, and that is the best news of this early season for a franchise that has long chased a direction. But beware of drawing too many conclusions from an opponent that collapsed on its own: the Blazers shot 41% and turned the ball over 19 times themselves. Against a team that takes care of the ball, the 17-0 run would never have happened. For Utah, the real issue is not Peterson, who is learning, but the Markkanen-George pairing, 5 of 24 between them. An injured leader rarely comes back at 100%, but a team with only one win in six games cannot afford to wait.

What's next

Portland, 4-1, travel to Denver on Monday night into Tuesday, at 3am Brazzaville time. Utah, 1-5, play at San Antonio the same night, at 2:30am, then host New Orleans.