The Portland Trail Blazers came up short against the Utah Jazz by the score of 83-79 on Friday night in the final NBA Summer League game for both teams. The Blazers finished the annual tournament with a record of 2-3.
Fatigue was clearly a factor in this one, as the game noticeably slowed down after frantic start. Neither team was able to get their shooting legs under them. Portland shot 33.7% from the field and 27.9% from beyond the arc, while the Jazz went 37.6% from the field and only 15.2% from deep.
Jalen Bridges was the top scorer for Portland with 16, while Yang Hansen added 9 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Justin Harmon led the way with 21 points for the Jazz. Darryn Peterson, the number two pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, didn’t suit up for Utah after scoring over 20 points in his previous four Summer League games.
First Half
This one was up and down from the opening tip, at least for a while. As you might expect for a final Summer League game, things were looser and both teams jumped on any opportunity to fast break. Yang Hansen started the game actively, filling up the scoresheet with two points, two assists, and three rebounds by the first timeout with 5:29 to go in the first quarter. It’s a good thing both teams were getting some easy buckets early on run-outs, because neither team was shooting very well otherwise. Each team hovered in the 30’s for field goal percentage and 10’s for three-point percentage for much of the half. As the second quarter progressed, it looked like the Blazers started to run out of gas. For the first quarter-and-a-half the lead changed frequently, but by midway through the second quarter Portland couldn’t keep up. The Jazz went on a run and finished the first half up 40-30. The Blazers ended the second quarter shooting 28.6% from the field and 20% from three. 10 turnovers weren’t helping matters either.
Second Half
The second half saw both teams go on big runs. Utah extended their lead to 15 in short order after the break, then Portland found the range from beyond the arc. Three quick three-pointers and a steal from Jayson Kent that led to a Jalen Bridges dunk saw Portland turn their fortunes around in hurry, cutting the lead to a more manageable four. They’d eventually get it down to a single point, only to for the Jazz to blow it up to 10 again.
Just before the end of the third and into the fourth quarter, Portland would go on yet another run. They tied it up with 7:48 to go in the fourth quarter. With 4:58 to go and score knotted up again at 65-65, Eric Dixon for Utah scored and was fouled. Dixon missed the free throw, but the Jazz tracked down the rebound, and Matthew Cleveland would bury a three-pointer for a five-point possession.
With just 1:25 remaining, the Jazz held a six-point lead. But a Flynn Cameron three and a tip-in from Bridges cut the lead to just one with 36 seconds left. On the ensuing Utah possession, the Blazers forced the miss but they couldn’t corral the rebound. Portland fouled with 12 seconds left, and Utah’s Harmon converted the pair of free throws to make the margin three. That set up a desperation three-point attempt from Kent which missed, but he was fouled on the shot. Just one problem, his foot was on the line. Kent made the first and tried to intentionally miss second, but it failed to draw iron. There was just enough time for the Blazers to foul once more, but Bez Mbeng made both foul shots, icing the game for the Jazz.
Next Up
We’ll have to wait for a bit to get more Blazers action. No firm dates have been announced, but training camp will presumably start at the very end of September, with preseason games beginning around 10 or 11 days later. In the meantime, stay tuned to Blazer’s Edge for all of the news, rumors, and discussion surrounding the franchise.
