Despite a scoring drought in the fourth quarter, the Portland Trail Blazers were never challenged by the Utah Jazz as they breezed to a 89-87 win on Thursday night. The Blazers, safely in the NBA playoffs, are still jockeying for position, trying to improve upon the No. 7 seed they currently had heading into the game. Thursday night’s win puts Portland a half game up on the New Orleans Hornets for the No. 6 spot in the West.
Jazz Vs. Blazers Final Score: Gerald Wallace Leads Portland To 98-87 Win
It was an all-around effort for the Blazers, with five players scoring in double-figures and two posting more than 20 points. Gerald Wallace scored a team-high 29 points for Portland and Nicolas Batum added 21. Wesley Matthews finished with 18 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 12 and Brandon Roy chipped in 11 points off the bench. Aldridge had a double-double, adding 11 rebounds to his 12 points. Andre Miller played the role of distributor, scoring just four points but dishing out 12 assists.
Devin Harris scored a team-high points for the Jazz in the loss. Paul Millsap and Gordon Hayward were also in double-figures, finishing with and points, respectively. Richard Jefferson had a game-high rebounds, with Millsap adding another boards.
The loss dropped the Jazz to 37-42, ensuring Utah only its second losing season in the past 26 years. The Blazers improved to 46-33 with the win.
For more on this game, Portland fans should visit Blazers Edge and Utah fans should visit SLC Dunk.
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