The undefeated (in 2026) Portland Trail Blazers won their third straight game in NBA action tonight, outplaying the Utah Jazz 137-117. Deni Advija just missed his second triple double in a row by stacking
33 points with 8 rebounds and 9 assists. Lauri Markkanen scored 22 points for the Jazz.
Player of the Game
Deni, the current Western Conference Player of the Week, was probably the Player of the Game as well. But I’m giving Shaedon Sharpe this title on the strength of hitting buzzer-beaters at the end of both the first and third quarters. He also added 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists and some spirited defense. After a disappointing game last time out, Shae bounced back big time tonight.
Stat of the Night
As predicted earlier on this site, 3-point shooting loomed large in this game. The Blazers shot 19-48 (40%) compared to 13-31 (42%), but those numbers were skewed by a mostly garbage-time fourth quarter. And distorted or not, 48 attempts compared to 31 with roughly equivalent percentages equals a blowout for the Blazers.
Another helpful comparison came in the turnover count, which the Blazers won 13 to 15. This is becoming a trend?
What We Noticed
Thanks to balanced scoring and superior distance shooting, the Blazers booked a first half to remember . The score was 78-57 in their favor at the break. Donovan Clingan already had a 10-10 double-double. Deni added 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists; Shae scored 17 with 5 assists. The team had hit 14 of 30 3-point attempts (47%) by intermission while Utah went 7 of 18 (39%).
Couldn’t help noticing Blazer fan favorite Jusef Nurkic, especially while he was scoring Utah’s first 7 points. He also took on Donovan Clingan in a Big Guy 3-point shootout, going 2 for 3 while Donovan hit 2 of 4.
Up Next
The Blazers are back at it Wednesday when the Houston Rockets roll into town for the first of two games in a row. Game time is 7 p.m., PST.
