Portland Trail Blazers (31-40) vs. Utah Jazz (35-36)
The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, when the Portland Trail Blazers travel to take on the Utah Jazz in this Western Conference clash at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Utah enters as a 2.5-point favorite with the total not set at the time this analysis was written.
Portland has won two of the three meetings between these teams this season, including a 116-111 victory in Utah on December 3. The Trail Blazers were 5.0 point underdogs in that contest with the total set at 228.
The Portland Trail Blazers (31-40, 33-37-1 ATS) lost their sixth straight game when they fell to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, 117-102. The team has now lost their last three games on the road and are 14-22 on the road this season. Portland is currently in 13th place in the Western Conference standings, 4.0 games behind Utah for the final playoff spot.
“I thought the third quarter kind of hurt us a little bit but it was still nip and tuck in there the whole time, but just could never really pick up momentum,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “I thought we had so many stretches where we had good looks, just knock them down.”
Final.#RipCity pic.twitter.com/f4h3epkDAT
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 20, 2023
Portland trailed by four at the half, and Los Angeles dominated from there. The Trail Blazers shot 45.1% from the field but took 12 fewer shots in Los Angeles as they were outrebounded by nine. Portland was outstanding from the free-throw line, going 22-24 (91.7%). Jusuf Nurkic led the team with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Portland is 15th in points per game (114.2) and 18th in points allowed per contest (116.1). This is a solid shooting team, ninth in three-point shooting (37.1%) and seven from the free-throw line (80.2%). However, the defense has collapsed over their last five games, allowing 122.6 points per game and opponents are shooting 49.2%, including 41.1% from three-point range.
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