Trail Blazers-Jazz Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Jan 29 2012 1:33PM

Wesley Matthews' arrival in Portland last season helped the Trail Blazers turn around their fortunes against the Utah Jazz.

Matthews tormented his former team in 2010-11, and he'll hope to do the same as these Northwest Division rivals meet for the first time this season Monday night in Salt Lake City.

As an undrafted rookie two seasons ago, Matthews developed into a starter in helping Utah (11-7) capture a share of the division title and reach the Western Conference semifinals.

The Jazz won all four matchups with Portland (12-8) that season, but the Trail Blazers signed Matthews - a restricted free agent - to a five-year deal worth $34 million afterward.

Matthews averaged 19.5 points against the Jazz last season for his second-highest career figure against any opponent. His play was a big reason Portland took three of four matchups.

He's off to a bit of a slow start this season with a 13.6 scoring average, but he was one of four Portland players to reach double figures Friday with 16 points in a 109-71 home rout of Phoenix. The Trail Blazers posted their second-highest scoring output of the season.

"We wanna run, we wanna play uptempo," Matthews said. "When you play like that, the only way to do that is to get stops and that's what we were able to do. So that fueled us offensively."

Portland, which won both visits to Utah last season, is eager to improve on its 3-7 road record.

"I don't know why we play like we do (Friday) and then we go on the road and the effort doesn't seem to be there at times," said center Marcus Camby, who grabbed 20 rebounds and did not score against the Suns. "That's something we talked about internally, that's something we look forward to correcting."

Utah improved to 9-3 at home with Saturday's 96-93 victory over Sacramento. The Jazz won despite 18 turnovers and a paltry 18 combined points from top scorers Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap.

"We'll take the win," coach Ty Corbin said. "We didn't execute and play our best basketball, we gutted it out and got a good win."

With the Kings focusing their attention on Jefferson and Millsap, Gordon Hayward and C.J. Miles combined for 41 points to lift the Jazz.

"(Saturday) was one of those nights they did a good job of doubling down on those guys and, like I said, we had some tired legs," Miles said. "I think me and G-Time (Hayward) are more than capable of being able to make plays. We just try to stick within the offense and some nights, nights like this, the offense works in my favor."

Only one matchup between these teams last season came after Utah dealt Deron Williams to New Jersey for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and draft picks Feb. 23. Harris' 26 points weren't enough in a 98-87 home loss to Portland on April 7, and he's now struggling through a subpar season, averaging 9.2 points and 4.6 assists.

Jefferson averaged 13.5 points and 11.8 boards in the 2010-11 season series while Portland star LaMarcus Aldridge averaged 22.3 points and 8.0 rebounds.

Portland had been 0-5 at Utah with Aldridge as a starter before its two wins last season.

"In the altitude it's going to be a big test for us, but, you know, we've gotta be ready to go," Aldridge said.

Millsap scores 19 as Jazz rally past Blazers 93-89

By LYNN DeBRUIN
Posted Jan 31 2012 1:08AM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Gordon Hayward certainly could have been the goat Monday night after moving over to shooting guard for the Utah Jazz and tossing up nothing but bricks early.

Yet the second-year pro kept playing and hustling, and it ultimately paid off in a 93-89 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Hayward shook off an 0-for-8 start to finish with 12 points. Late in the game, he had a block, a steal and a key rebound, and sank three of four free throws down the stretch as the Jazz prevailed.

"I was trying to forget the first half," Hayward said. "It's something I don't think any player wants to do ... missing layups, missing wide-open shots. ... You need to keep shooting."

The Jazz called this win especially big considering it came against their Northwest Division rivals, a team that had beaten them three straight times to end last season.

"With the records and the standings and being in the same division, we needed to win. When it comes to the end of the year, we need to have the tiebreakers," said C.J. Miles, who had 15 points off the bench for Utah.

Paul Millsap led Utah with 19 points and 15 rebounds, and the Jazz held a 51-37 edge on the boards.

Still, they appeared headed for their fourth loss at home, especially playing without starting center Al Jefferson (right ankle inflammation) and guard Raja Bell (strained right adductor).

The Jazz were shooting just 27.3 percent at one point in the first half, and LaMarcus Aldridge started lighting them up in the second.

Aldridge scored 14 of his team's first 18 points in the third, hitting his first six shots as Portland built its lead to 63-52 with 5:32 left.

"We definitely had control and we let it slip away," said Aldridge, who finished with 25 points and seven rebounds. "No excuses. They kept playing hard and they ended up coming back and stealing one."

The Jazz started their comeback late in the third with a 10-0 run behind point guard Devin Harris. He hit a long jumper, sank a free throw, then stole the ball from Jamal Crawford and fed Millsap for a jam that cut Portland's lead to 63-59 with 2:58 left in the quarter. Harris capped the run with a short jumper off a fast break.

Hayward hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 65 with 1:26 left in the quarter. In the fourth, the Jazz trailed 79-74 when they went on a 13-0 run.

Millsap had four points in the spurt, but reserves Earl Watson, Jeremy Evans and Miles provided the spark.

Watson scored on a fast-break layup and 19-foot jumper, and passed to Evans for an alley-oop dunk.

"One to 13, the guys did a tremendous job just staying in there," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "Things weren't going well for us early. But we stayed together, kept encouraging each other and forcing each other to play a little harder. It's a great team win for us."

Aldridge ended a 6-minute Blazers scoring drought with a hook shot, and Nicolas Batum followed with a 3-pointer to pull Portland to 87-84.

But Hayward blocked Crawford's layup, and Millsap hit a jumper for a five-point Jazz lead with 1:43 left.

The Blazers were down 90-87 with 13.3 seconds left, but Wesley Matthews drove the lane for a layup rather than look for a 3-pointer, and Portland tried to force the Jazz to make free throws to close it out.

Miles went to the line and made one but missed the second, only to have Hayward grab the rebound. He sank both foul shots to seal the win with 2.3 seconds left.

The loss was the eighth in 11 road games for the Blazers. They also lost Batum to an injury late in the game. He had to be helped off the court and is expected to have an MRI on his left knee Tuesday.

"We simply got outworked," Portland coach Nate McMillan said.

The Trail Blazers gave up 24 second-chance points and were outscored 20-6 on fast-break points.

"They were the aggressors throughout, not only on the offensive end but on defense," McMillan said. "Earl Watson was really good on the ball, and (rookie Enes) Kanter came in and was real good defending the post. They were the physical team tonight and earned the right to win this game."

NOTES: Jefferson, bothered by inflammation in his right ankle, missed his third game in two seasons with the Jazz. Bell had started every game this season but strained his right adductor Saturday against Sacramento. ... In the first half, the teams were a combined 2 of 14 from 3-point range. ... Gerald Wallace was assessed a technical foul in the fourth quarter in the midst of the 13-0 Jazz run. ... The Trail Blazers gave up a season-high 38 free throws.

Notebook: Jazz 93, Trail Blazers 89

By Andrew Aragon, for NBA.com
Posted Tuesday January 31, 2012 12:50AM

THE FACTS: With two of the their starters wearing dress clothes, the Utah Jazz overcame an 11-point third-quarter deficit and defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 93-89 on Monday night.

Paul Millsap had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and C.J. Miles came off the bench to score 15 points for the Jazz. Utah starters Al Jefferson (inflamed right ankle) and Raja Bell (right groin) missed the game because of injuries.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and seven rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who fell to 3-8 on the road.

QUOTABLE: "There's no quit in this group of guys. I've seen these guys go through a lot. Those first 2 games of the season, we didn't play well at all. Everybody said, 'Look, we have to step it up and be more focused,' and we're doing it, and we're going to continue to do it. If we lose games when we're playing hard, we can deal with it, but we want to play hard every night and give it all we have."
-- Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin on his team rallying from being 11 points down the same way they fought back after losing their first two games of the season.

THE STAT: The Jazz's supremacy on the boards, especially on the offensive end, was a big difference in the game. Utah outrebounded Portland 51-37 with an 18-5 advantage on the offensive boards. The Jazz's ability to rebound also helped them have a 24-11 advantage in second-chance points.

TURNING POINT: The Jazz began clawing back into the game right after they fell behind by their largest deficit of 11 points in the third quarter. Devin Harris started a 13-3 run that featured a dunk by Millsap and was capped by a 3-pointer by Gordon Hayward to tie the game at 65-65. Utah then took control in the fourth quarter with a 13-0 run that made it 87-79. A jumper by Millsap gave the Jazz an 80-79 lead, Utah's first advantage since it was 4-3 early in the contest.

HOT: Aldridge made his first six shots in the third quarter. Nicolas Batum kept Portland in the game in the fourth quarter with his 3-point shooting. The Blazers scored 14 points in the first 10 minutes of the fourth, and 12 of them came on 3-pointers from Batum. Hayward was a different player after halftime, scoring all of his 12 points, and collecting all of his three rebounds, blocked shot and steal in the second half.

NOT: Hayward had to make up for a forgettable 0-for-8 shooting performance in the first half. The Blazers allowed the Jazz to have a 16-10 rebounding advantage in the fourth quarter. Raymond Felton shot 0-for-4 from 3-point range and 0-for-6 overall in the second half. Utah was only 8-for-13 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.

QUOTABLE II: "I was trying to forget the first half. It's something I don't think any player wants to do, missing layups, missing wide-open shots. I think it just goes to show that between the first and second half, shots are going to fall, some aren't. You just need to keep shooting. If you are open, you just have to shoot. If you don't, you are just a liability out there, playing four on five."
-- Jazz forward Hayward on staying in the game after an 0-for-8 first half.

GOOD MOVE: Corbin played Enes Kanter almost the entire fourth quarter, and his defense against Aldridge was outstanding. Aldridge shot 1-for-4 and scored just two points in the fourth against the third overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft.

FANTASY WATCH: Aldridge continues to be a consistent scorer and a valuable player for fantasy owners. He has scored at least 20 points in 15 of his 21 games.

ROOKIE WATCH: In addition to his solid defense in the fourth quarter, Kanter had eight rebounds. He shot just 1-for-8 and scored three points. Alec Burks played limited minutes for the Jazz, scoring just one point.

NOTABLE: Jefferson and Bell are both considered day-to-day to return from their injuries. Batum suffered a leg injury while driving for a potentially game-tying shot with 17.2 seconds left in the contest and had to be helped off the floor. Utah's Josh Howard made his first start of the season and had 11 points and a season-high seven rebounds. Portland blocked five shots in the first quarter, and held Utah to 30.4 percent shooting in the first half.

UP NEXT: For the Trail Blazers, Wednesday vs. Bobcats, Thursday @ Sacramento, Saturday vs. Nuggets. For the Jazz, Wednesday vs. Clippers, Thursday @ Golden State, Saturday vs. Lakers.

• Trail Blazers: Johnson, Oden
• Jazz: --

• Trail Blazers: Wallace
• Jazz: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #52 Scott Twardoski, #56 Mark Ayotte
• Attendance: 19328
• Duration: 2:11