Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
Utah 109, Portland 96
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 31, 2015
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Officials: #27 Mitchell Ervin, #13 Monty McCutchen, #60 James Williams
Attendance: 19380

SALT LAKE CITY -- Guard Trey Burke scored a season-high 27 points, and forward Gordon Hayward added 23 points and 10 rebounds to power the Utah Jazz to a 109-96 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.

Jazz guard Rodney Hood chipped in 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Utah evened the season series with Portland after shooting 45 percent (15-of-33) from 3-point range.

Guard CJ McCollum scored 32 points to lead the Blazers. Forward Meyers Leonard added 17 points, and guard Allen Crabbe chipped in 15 points. Portland (14-21) saw a three-game winning streak end.

Portland took a 12-9 lead early in the first quarter on back-to-back 3-pointers from McCollum and Crabbe. The Blazers pushed it to 20-16 on another outside basket from Leonard. Utah eventually took back a 23-20 lead on back-to-back baskets from Hayward that capped a 7-0 spurt.

The Jazz (14-17) opened the second quarter with hot shooting to blow the game wide open. Utah made 10 of 13 shots during the first 7 1/2 minutes of the quarter to fuel a game-changing 21-3 run. As a team, the Jazz shot 57 percent (12-of-21) from the field in the second quarter and 66.7 percent (6-of-9) from 3-point range.

Burke ignited the decisive run with a 3-pointer, and Utah took its first double-digit lead on a 3-pointer from Hood. Guard Raul Neto capped off the spurt with a 3-pointer, giving the Jazz a 52-33 lead with 4:41 remaining before halftime.

Portland did not do itself any favors with sloppiness on offense. The Blazers committed 10 first-half turnovers that Utah turned into 24 points. The Jazz, on the other hand, coughed up just one turnover before halftime.

Utah stayed in control throughout the third quarter. The Jazz led by as many as 29 points during the quarter, taking a 75-46 lead on back-to-back baskets from guard Chris Johnson.

Portland rallied a bit before the end of the quarter. Crabbe and McCollum drained back-to-back 3-pointers again to fuel an 11-1 run that cut Utah's lead to 76-57. The Blazers ultimately cut the lead to 12 when Leonard drained a 3-pointer a minute into the fourth quarter to make it 86-74.

Utah halted the rally there. The Jazz used a 12-3 run, culminating in a 3-pointer from guard Joe Ingles, to go back up 98-77 with 7:32 remaining.

NOTES: Portland G Damian Lillard did not play for a sixth consecutive game because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Lillard had started 275 consecutive games before the injury. ... Jazz F Derrick Favors missed his fourth consecutive game because of back spasms. ... The Trail Blazers rank fifth in the NBA in rebounding, averaging 46.2 per game. ... Jazz G Raul Neto is shooting 47.4 percent from 3-point range (9-for-19) in his past nine games after going 1-for-2 Thursday night.
Top Game Performances
 
Portland   Utah
C.J. McCollum 32 Scoring Trey Burke 27
C.J. McCollum 6 Assists Rodney Hood 6
Mason Plumlee 9 Rebounds Gordon Hayward 10
Noah Vonleh 4 Free Throws Made Gordon Hayward 3
Maurice Harkless 1 Steals Trevor Booker 1
N/A Blocks Jeff Withey 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Portland 96 44.9 16-36 10-14 19 39 0 1 11
Utah 109 50.0 15-33 8-11 19 42 5 7 6
Upcoming Games
  • Utah will play their next game at home against Memphis. The Jazz have a W/L % of .357 after a win and .529 after a loss.
  • Portland will play their next game on the road against Denver. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .381 after a loss.