Field Level Media
Dec 22, 2018
Ricky Rubio scored 24 points and dished out eight assists as the visiting Utah Jazz blew away the Portland Trail Blazers 120-90 Friday night.
Kyle Korver and Jae Crowder came off the bench for 18 and 16 points, respectively, and Rudy Gobert contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz, who had lost four in a row on the road.
Damian Lillard scored 19 points to lead the Trail Blazers, who saw their three-game winning streak end. It was Portland's second-biggest margin of defeat this season, next to a 143-100 drubbing at Milwaukee on Nov. 21.
Crowder scored 13 points and Joe Ingles added 11 to stake Utah to a 55-49 advantage at the half. The Jazz started the game 9 of 12 from 3-point range but missed their final six attempts from beyond the arc before the break. Lillard had 14 points for Portland in the half.
Utah used a 10-0 run to jump ahead 79-58 with four minutes left in the third quarter. The Blazers responded with a 10-2 spurt to draw within 81-68 late in the quarter. The Jazz carried an 83-68 advantage into the final period.
The Jazz extended the difference 90-71 with 9:41 left in the game. The Blazers answered with a 7-0 run -- the last points provided on a 35-foot bomb from Lillard -- to close the gap to 90-78 with 8:15 to go.
However, Korver scored six consecutive points -- a 3-pointer and a three-point play -- to start a 9-0 streak that gave the Jazz a 99-78 lead with 7:05 remaining. The Blazers got no closer than 21 points the rest of the way.
Utah knocked down 6 of 8 3-point shots to go ahead 33-26 after one quarter.
The Jazz used an 11-2 run to stoke the lead to 49-35 with 7:20 left in the second quarter. Portland outscored Utah 14-6 the rest of the half to go into the break trailing by six.
--Field Level Media