NBA: Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers rout Jazz to continue hot streak

Deni Avdija recorded 33 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a convincing 137-117 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz on Monday night.

Shaedon Sharpe contributed 29 points, seven assists, and five rebounds, including five 3-pointers, as Portland secured its fifth win in six games. Donovan Clingan added a double-double with 12 points and 17 rebounds for the Trail Blazers.

Toumani Camara scored 15 points, while reserves Sidy Cissoko and Caleb Love chipped in 14 points each.

For Utah, Lauri Markkanen led the team with 22 points, and Jusuf Nurkic recorded 21 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. Keyonte George tallied 15 points, Kyle Filipowski added 13, and reserve Isaiah Collier contributed 10 points off the bench. The Jazz suffered their fourth straight loss and dropped to 0-3 on a four-game road trip, losing eight of their last 10 games.

Portland shot an efficient 52.7% from the field, including 19-of-48 from three-point range. Avdija and Cissoko each made four three-pointers, while Kris Murray added 10 points. Utah finished at 48.9% overall and 13-of-31 from beyond the arc.

Sharpe scored 11 points in the first quarter as Portland jumped to a 36-26 lead. Avdija’s layup extended the lead to 63-41 with 4:29 remaining in the second quarter, and Sharpe’s three-pointer pushed the advantage to 23 points. Cissoko’s trey gave Portland a 78-57 lead at halftime, with Avdija scoring 23 points and Sharpe adding 17 in the first half. Markkanen had 13 points for Utah by halftime.

In the third quarter, George’s three-pointer briefly cut the Jazz deficit to 84-67 with 10:27 remaining, but the Trail Blazers responded with a 19-4 run, capped by Avdija’s reverse layup to make it 103-71. Utah answered with nine straight points, yet Portland finished the quarter with an 11-3 run, including a Sharpe three-pointer at the buzzer to enter the fourth quarter ahead 114-83.

The Trail Blazers maintained control throughout the final quarter. Utah finally reduced the gap to under 20 on Cody Williams’ fast-break dunk with 3:34 remaining, but Portland closed out the game, scoring 136 and 137 points in consecutive wins over the Jazz this season.

—Field Level Media/Reuters