The Portland Trail Blazers have stormed into 2026 with a bang. They are now 3-0 in the new year after crushing the Utah Jazz 137-117 on Monday night in the first of a four-game homestand. Powered by Deni
Avdija Commemorative Glass Night, the Blazers made their fans’ cups runneth over with excitement by dismantling their division rival.
Taking Care of Business
The Blazers came out a very determined team, one that expected to win. They started with great energy. The hot three-point shooting that started in Saturday’s win over San Antonio carried over tonight. It might have been a cold and clear night outside the friendly confines of the Moda Center, but inside it was a raging inferno. The Blazers shot 19-40 (40%) from downtown.
If threes were the Roman Candles, the several alley=oop dunks throughout were the M-80’s, as Portland converted 15 Utah turnovers into 27 points. The Blazers quickly got up by double digits, and never looked back.
Ode to Jusuf Nurkic
It was nice to see the Bosnian Beast back in town and playing well. Nurkic has been solid for Utah this season averaging almost a double double with 9.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 25 minutes per game. He’s in the last season of the contract he signed with the Blazers back in 2022. With a $19,375,000 expiring salary, his deal could be up for trade this deadline. His salary could be used to help grease the financial skids in a multi-team trade. Or…if he isn’t traded, could he be waived after the deadline to latch on with a contender for a pro-rated minimum deal? If the Blazers keep this momentum up, would a reunion make sense for the remainder of the season? He could be a terrific backup for Clingan if he brought some of that “2019 Enes Kanter” magic. I know I could go for another round of Nurk Fever this spring. Nurkic finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal in 31 minutes.
Sharpe Focus
After coming off his worst game of the season, Shaedon Sharpe came back with a vengeance. He was an offensive menace from everywhere tonight with a 29/5/7 line on hyper efficient 58/63/100 shooting splits. He also may have set a personal record for most dunks in a game, punctuated by three highlight alley-oops. Aside from his exciting aerial act, he treated the home crowd to buzzer-beating threes to end the first AND third quarters. Seven assists to one turnover provided a chef’s kiss to his performance. It was nice to see him wash away the taste of that last game with a statement game. If the Blazers can get this Shaedon Sharpe regularly for the rest of the season, watch them climb the Western Conference standings.
Deni & Donovan
Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan have been the heart and soul of the Blazers winning 5 of their last 6 games. Deni is starting to control games like a superstar does and tonight was another incredible effort. We’re also seeing chemistry develop between him and Clingan with pick and rolls to the basket. Donovan continued his hot three-point shooting (55% over the last 10 games) making back-to-back threes and gobbling up 17 rebounds. He’s been demoralizing guys on the boards. If this D&D Connection is any relation to the popular RPG, they have been rolling Nat 20’s all over the map as of late. Tonight the double-headed dragon combined for 45 points, 25 rebounds, 11 assists, and 3 blocks while shooting 15-28 from the field.
Turnovers and Free Throw Shooting
The Blazers have been the worst in the league at giving the ball to their opponent this season. Tonight, they only had 4 turnovers at the half. They finished the game with 13. Free throws have also been a bugaboo lately but tonight the team went 20-21 from the line. Dialed in!
Quizzes Done, Now Come Some Tests
The shorthanded Blazers have been playing inspired basketball. They are getting fantastic efforts up and down the lineup. They’ve had some dominant stretches in the past three games. Opponents are bending to Avdija’s will and Clingan’s grit. Granted two of the past three came against lowly New Orleans and Utah. However, it feels like there is some real momentum building behind this Blazers team. The homestand finishes with a playoff-style back-to-back games with Houston, then the tough New York Knicks. Those teams currently sit in 4th and 3rd in their conferences, respectively. By the end of this weekend, we’ll see if Portland is ready to compete with the big boys.
Up Next
The Blazers are back at it Wednesday when the Houston Rockets roll into town at 7:00 PM, PST.
