Jordan Clarkson scores 30 points as Jazz send Trail Blazers to their 4th straight loss 115-99
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Jordan Clarkson scored 30 points and Lauri Markkanen added 21 points and nine rebounds, leading the Utah Jazz to a 115-99 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in an NBA In-Season Tournament game on Tuesday night.
John Collins had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz. Kelly Olynyk finished with 12 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Keyonte George added 15 points and Collin Sexton 13. George and Sexton each had seven assists.
Utah won its second straight tournament game, while Portland, which dropped its fourth straight overall, slipped to 1-1 in West Group A play.
Tenacious defense opened a door to consecutive victories for the Jazz. Utah forced a season-high 11 steals and routinely disrupted the Blazers’ offensive rhythm at key moments throughout the game.
“We’re trying to be more active as a group,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “We’re trying to lean into our speed. Be a little bit more proactive on that end and I think it’s been very good for us.”
Jerami Grant led Portland with 26 points. Deandre Ayton added 22 points and 10 rebounds and Shaedon Sharpe finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Skylar Mays had a game-high 10 assists.
Clarkson gave Utah an early spark with his shooting. He started 6 for 6 from the floor and scored 14 points in the first quarter. Clarkson capped a 10-2 run with a steal and dunk – his final basket in the opening period - to give the Jazz a 29-19 lead.
Utah did not commit a turnover in the game’s first 15 minutes. Portland struggled to hold onto the ball, and its sloppiness was costly. The Jazz scored 16 points off 12 Portland turnovers in the first half.
“We’ve got to take care of the ball,” Grant said. “With a lot of new people in the rotation, we’re trying to figure each other out.”
Taking care of the ball gave Utah plenty of offensive momentum. The Jazz opened the second quarter by scoring baskets on four straight possessions, punctuated by a 3-pointer from Olynyk off a steal that extended Utah’s lead to 45-31.
Portland chipped away at the deficit throughout the third quarter behind steady shooting from Grant and Ayton. The duo combined for nine baskets and cut Utah’s lead to 87-84 late in the quarter. Each time the Trail Blazers threatened to overtake the Jazz, Clarkson countered with timely baskets to keep Utah a step ahead.
“We were decisive with everything - shoot, pass, dribble,” Clarkson said. “That was a big thing with us tonight. Everybody made their decisions quick.”
The Jazz ended Portland’s comeback hopes in the fourth quarter. Markkanen scored three baskets to fuel a decisive 13-0 run that put Utah ahead 108-93 with 5:40 remaining.
“We were stuck on 93 for I don’t know how long,” Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “We created some decent shots, not great, but decent. We just couldn’t make shots and we seem to have those kind of stretches.”
Utah held an opponent under 100 points for the first time under Hardy, ending a streak of 92 games, dating to April, 2022. The accomplishment offered a step forward for a defense that’s been beleaguered at times early in the season.
“We should do that more often,” joked Markkanen, who had his sixth straight 20-point game.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: Host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Jazz: Host the Phoenix Suns on Friday in another tournament game.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Deandre Ayton vs. Lauri Markkanen (Toumani Camara gains possession) | ||
| 11:39 |  | Deandre Ayton misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 11:36 | | Keyonte George defensive rebound | ||
| 11:21 | | Ochai Agbaji misses two point jump shot | ||
| 11:20 | | Toumani Camara defensive rebound | ||
| 11:12 | | +3 | Toumani Camara makes three point jump shot (Shaedon Sharpe assists) | 3-0 |
| 10:51 | | John Collins misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:48 | | Ochai Agbaji offensive rebound | ||
| 10:48 | | +2 | Ochai Agbaji makes two point putback layup | 3-2 |
| 10:33 | | +2 | Jerami Grant makes two point floating jump shot | 5-2 |
| 10:20 | | +3 | Jordan Clarkson makes three point jump shot (Keyonte George assists) | 5-5 |
| 10:01 | | Shaedon Sharpe misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:00 | | Lauri Markkanen defensive rebound | ||
| 9:48 | | Jerami Grant personal foul (Jordan Clarkson draws the foul) | ||
| 9:42 | | Lauri Markkanen misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:38 | | Skylar Mays defensive rebound | ||
| 9:22 | | Deandre Ayton misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 9:20 | | John Collins defensive rebound | ||
| 9:12 | | John Collins misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 9:10 | | Ochai Agbaji offensive rebound | ||
| 9:10 | | Ochai Agbaji misses two point tip layup | ||
| 9:10 | | Ochai Agbaji offensive rebound | ||
| 9:10 | | Deandre Ayton shooting foul (Ochai Agbaji draws the foul) | ||
| 9:10 | | +1 | Ochai Agbaji makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 5-6 |
| 9:10 | | +1 | Ochai Agbaji makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 5-7 |
| 8:59 | | +2 | Deandre Ayton makes two point alley-oop layup (Skylar Mays assists) | 7-7 |
| 8:44 | | Ochai Agbaji misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:42 | | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | ||
| 8:38 | | +2 | Toumani Camara makes two point alley-oop layup (Skylar Mays assists) | 9-7 |
| 8:38 | | Ochai Agbaji defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 8:34 | | Shaedon Sharpe personal foul (Keyonte George draws the foul) | ||
| 8:21 | | +2 | Jordan Clarkson makes two point pullup jump shot (Keyonte George assists) | 9-9 |
| 8:01 | | Skylar Mays misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:57 | | Ochai Agbaji defensive rebound | ||
| 7:51 | | +2 | John Collins makes two point pullup jump shot | 9-11 |
| 7:39 | | +2 | Jerami Grant makes two point jump shot | 11-11 |
| 7:24 | | +2 | Jordan Clarkson makes two point driving floating jump shot | 11-13 |
| 7:09 | | +2 | Deandre Ayton makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 13-13 |
| 6:51 | | Toumani Camara shooting foul (Keyonte George draws the foul) | ||
| 6:51 | | Jazz 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:51 | | +1 | Keyonte George makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 13-14 |
| 6:51 | | +1 | Keyonte George makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 13-15 |
| 6:51 | | +1 | Keyonte George makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 13-16 |
| 6:40 | | Jamaree Bouyea misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 6:37 | | Deandre Ayton offensive rebound | ||
| 6:37 | | +2 | Deandre Ayton makes two point tip dunk | 15-16 |
| 6:26 | | Keyonte George misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:24 | | Toumani Camara defensive rebound | ||
| 6:16 | | Toumani Camara turnover (bad pass) (Ochai Agbaji steals) | ||
| 6:13 | | +3 | Jordan Clarkson makes three point running jump shot (Ochai Agbaji assists) | 15-19 |
| 5:54 | | Deandre Ayton misses two point hook shot | ||
| 5:52 | | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | ||
| 5:45 | | Kelly Olynyk misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 5:43 | | Jabari Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 5:34 | | Shaedon Sharpe misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:30 | | Toumani Camara offensive rebound | ||
| 5:29 | | +2 | Jabari Walker makes two point pullup jump shot (Toumani Camara assists) | 17-19 |
| 5:12 | | Jamaree Bouyea shooting foul (Keyonte George draws the foul) | ||
| 5:12 | | +1 | Keyonte George makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 17-20 |
| 5:12 | | +1 | Keyonte George makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 17-21 |
| 5:01 | | Jamaree Bouyea turnover (bad pass) (Jordan Clarkson steals) | ||
| 4:57 | | +2 | John Collins makes two point alley-oop dunk (Jordan Clarkson assists) | 17-23 |
| 4:43 | | +2 | Deandre Ayton makes two point jump shot (Shaedon Sharpe assists) | 19-23 |
| 4:23 | | John Collins misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 4:21 | | Kelly Olynyk offensive rebound | ||
| 4:20 | | +2 | Kelly Olynyk makes two point layup | 19-25 |
| 4:02 | | John Collins blocks Jabari Walker's two point layup | ||
| 3:59 | | Ochai Agbaji defensive rebound | ||
| 3:58 | | Ochai Agbaji misses two point dunk | ||
| 3:57 | | Trail Blazers defensive rebound | ||
| 3:44 | | Jamaree Bouyea misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 3:43 | | Jazz defensive rebound | ||
| 3:31 | | Lauri Markkanen misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:27 | | Kelly Olynyk offensive rebound | ||
| 3:21 | | +2 | Jordan Clarkson makes two point driving layup | 19-27 |
| 3:12 | | Duop Reath turnover (lost ball) (Jordan Clarkson steals) | ||
| 3:09 | | +2 | Jordan Clarkson makes two point running dunk | 19-29 |
| 3:09 | | Trail Blazers 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:52 | | Duop Reath misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:49 | | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | ||
| 2:36 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:33 | | Kelly Olynyk offensive rebound | ||
| 2:32 | | Jordan Clarkson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:27 | | Jabari Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 2:16 | | +2 | Jerami Grant makes two point jump shot (Skylar Mays assists) | 21-29 |
| 1:58 | | +2 | Collin Sexton makes two point floating jump shot | 21-31 |
| 1:43 | | Jerami Grant misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:40 | | Talen Horton-Tucker defensive rebound | ||
| 1:33 | | Lauri Markkanen misses two point driving layup | ||
| 1:32 | | Jerami Grant defensive rebound | ||
| 1:29 | | Talen Horton-Tucker shooting foul (Jerami Grant draws the foul) | ||
| 1:29 | | +1 | Jerami Grant makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 22-31 |
| 1:29 | | +1 | Jerami Grant makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 23-31 |
| 1:14 | | Matisse Thybulle shooting foul (Lauri Markkanen draws the foul) | ||
| 1:14 | | Lauri Markkanen misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 1:14 | | +1 | Lauri Markkanen makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 23-32 |
| 1:04 | | +2 | Skylar Mays makes two point driving layup | 25-32 |
| 0:49 | | Jerami Grant shooting foul (Lauri Markkanen draws the foul) | ||
| 0:49 | | +1 | Lauri Markkanen makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 25-33 |
| 0:49 | | +1 | Lauri Markkanen makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 25-34 |
| 0:30 | | +3 | Jabari Walker makes three point jump shot (Skylar Mays assists) | 28-34 |
| 0:09 | | Collin Sexton misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 0:06 | | Kelly Olynyk offensive rebound | ||
| 0:02 | | +2 | Collin Sexton makes two point reverse layup (Kelly Olynyk assists) | 28-36 |
| 0:00 | | Matisse Thybulle misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Trail Blazers offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:44 | | +2 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes two point driving layup | 28-38 |
| 11:27 | | Skylar Mays misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 11:24 | | Collin Sexton defensive rebound | ||
| 11:19 | | +2 | Collin Sexton makes two point running jump shot | 28-40 |
| 11:05 | | +3 | Shaedon Sharpe makes three point pullup jump shot | 31-40 |
| 10:54 | | +2 | Lauri Markkanen makes two point layup (Kelly Olynyk assists) | 31-42 |
| 10:40 | | Shaedon Sharpe turnover (lost ball) (Kelly Olynyk steals) | ||
| 10:36 | | +3 | Kelly Olynyk makes three point jump shot (Collin Sexton assists) | 31-45 |
| 10:17 | | Jabari Walker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:14 | | Talen Horton-Tucker defensive rebound | ||
| 10:06 | | Simone Fontecchio misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:03 | | Matisse Thybulle defensive rebound | ||
| 9:48 | | Duop Reath misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:43 | | Jabari Walker offensive rebound | ||
| 9:43 | | +2 | Jabari Walker makes two point putback layup | 33-45 |
| 9:34 | | Collin Sexton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:31 | | Jabari Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 9:25 | | Duop Reath turnover (lost ball) (Talen Horton-Tucker steals) | ||
| 9:21 | | +2 | Collin Sexton makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 33-47 |
| 9:19 | | Trail Blazers 60 second timeout | ||
| 9:00 | | +3 | Jabari Walker makes three point jump shot (Matisse Thybulle assists) | 36-47 |
| 8:41 | | Kelly Olynyk turnover (lost ball) (Jabari Walker steals) | ||
| 8:36 | | +3 | Matisse Thybulle makes three point running jump shot (Skylar Mays assists) | 39-47 |
| 8:19 | | Jabari Walker blocks Talen Horton-Tucker's two point layup | ||
| 8:19 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 8:16 | | +3 | Kelly Olynyk makes three point jump shot (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 39-50 |
| 7:56 | | Shaedon Sharpe misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:53 | | Simone Fontecchio defensive rebound | ||
| 7:39 | | Kelly Olynyk misses two point jump shot | ||
| 7:36 | | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | ||
| 7:32 | | +2 | Skylar Mays makes two point running layup | 41-50 |
| 7:20 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses two point driving layup | ||
| 7:18 | | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | ||
| 7:08 | | +2 | Deandre Ayton makes two point jump shot (Skylar Mays assists) | 43-50 |
| 6:52 | | Lauri Markkanen misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:49 | | Skylar Mays defensive rebound | ||
| 6:43 | | Simone Fontecchio personal foul (Skylar Mays draws the foul) | ||
| 6:37 | | +3 | Jerami Grant makes three point jump shot (Skylar Mays assists) | 46-50 |
| 6:22 | | +3 | John Collins makes three point jump shot (Collin Sexton assists) | 46-53 |
| 6:09 | | +2 | Deandre Ayton makes two point hook shot (Jerami Grant assists) | 48-53 |
| 5:55 | | +3 | John Collins makes three point jump shot (Keyonte George assists) | 48-56 |
| 5:43 | | Jerami Grant offensive foul (Collin Sexton draws the foul) | ||
| 5:43 | | Jerami Grant turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 5:32 | | Keyonte George misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:30 | | John Collins offensive rebound | ||
| 5:28 | | Skylar Mays blocks John Collins's two point jump shot | ||
| 5:27 | | Skylar Mays defensive rebound | ||
| 5:20 | | Shaedon Sharpe turnover (bad pass) (Collin Sexton steals) | ||
| 5:19 | | Skylar Mays shooting foul (Collin Sexton draws the foul) | ||
| 5:19 | | +1 | Collin Sexton makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 48-57 |
| 5:19 | | +1 | Collin Sexton makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 48-58 |
| 5:05 | | Skylar Mays turnover (bad pass) (Ochai Agbaji steals) | ||
| 4:55 | | +2 | Jordan Clarkson makes two point driving layup (Collin Sexton assists) | 48-60 |
| 4:55 | | Deandre Ayton defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 4:43 | | +2 | Shaedon Sharpe makes two point driving layup | 50-60 |
| 4:30 | | Toumani Camara personal foul (John Collins draws the foul) | ||
| 4:24 | | +2 | Lauri Markkanen makes two point layup (Keyonte George assists) | 50-62 |
| 4:08 | | Jamaree Bouyea turnover (bad pass) (Keyonte George steals) | ||
| 4:04 | | Jordan Clarkson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:01 | | Shaedon Sharpe defensive rebound | ||
| 3:55 | | Toumani Camara misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:54 | | Deandre Ayton offensive rebound | ||
| 3:54 | | John Collins shooting foul (Deandre Ayton draws the foul) | ||
| 3:54 | | +1 | Deandre Ayton makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 51-62 |
| 3:54 | | +1 | Deandre Ayton makes regular free throw 2 of 2 |