Trail Blazers 134, Jazz 124: Four Hard Takeaways
Damian Lillard scored a season-high 60 points while shooting 21-for-29 from the field as the Portland Trail Blazers thumped the Utah Jazz, 134-124. Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 24 points in a losing cause.
The Jazz came out hot in this one, building a 31-19 lead after one-quarter of play. But it was all Trail Blazers after that, scorching the Jazz for 49 second-quarter points and cruising the rest of the way.
What did we learn from Utah dropping another game on the road? Let’s break it down.
Trouble Slowing Down Point Guards
Lillard’s 60-point performance comes off the heels of Kyrie Irving scoring his season high 48 points against Utah. Jazz fans may also remember Blazers guard Anfernee Simons going off for a career-best 45 points back on December 3.
Elite players are going to get their points regardless, but Utah needs to figure out a way to keep them close to their average. I feel like a broken record, but Nickeil Walker-Alexander not seeing the floor against scoring point guards is coaching malpractice.
Irving, Lillard, and Simons all scored their season highs with Utah’s best perimeter defender on the bench.
Ochai Agbaji Still Figuring it Out
It hasn’t been pretty for the rookie since having his best game of the year against the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier this month. Agbagi was scoreless against the Trail Blazers and looked lost in the half-court sets.
However, he’s shown enough this year that he should stay in the rotation and get minutes that young players need to develop. Agbagi is Utah’s most athletic guard and could be a key piece to slowing down the opponent's best player down the road.
Kelly Olynyk Returning to Starting Lineup
It will be interesting to see what head coach Will Hardy does with the starting lineup when Olynyk comes back into the fold. Walker Kessler has made his case that he should be a permanent fixture as a starter, but Hardy’s rotation decisions are hard to predict.
If Olynyk is the starter, then most likely, Malik Beasley would go back to the bench being replaced by Jarred Vanderbilt. Either way, the most important aspect is Kessler getting starter minutes each and every night. The Jazz are 8-4 when Kessler gets at least 25 minutes on the court.
Road Woes Continue
Only five teams currently have more road losses than the Jazz this year. It’s never easy away from home, but Utah has been really bad after a good start to the season, winning five of their first eight road games.
But since November 9, Utah has only won four contests away from Salt Lake City. If the Jazz have any thoughts of postseason play, they’ll have to get that figured out.
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