The Jazz looked a little more like a nice surprise to open the NBA season, pulling off a Western Conference shocker against the Blazers on Saturday in Portland (118-113), largely thanks to Jordan Clarkson’s 15 points. in the last quarter. Who would believe that? Here’s Utah, a solid lead in the West, with this 12th win (in 18 games) under the roof of one of its runners-up.
- NBA. schedule and results
- NBA standings
The Jazz lost Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in the offseason. And what ? He once again showed his strength of character at Oregon, especially in the second half, when the Blazers managed to close a 19-point deficit on the scoreboard. Down 108-107 for Portland and with two minutes to play, Clarkson took matters into his own hands, allowing the Jazz to regain the lead 115-109, including a three-pointer followed by a pull-up layup.
Damian Lillard’s relapse
The Jazz also had surprise Finnish winger Lauri Markkanen, who had a double-double (23 points, 10 rebounds), and Malik Beasley scored 29 points, two more than the previous day against the Phoenix Suns. As for the Blazers, the loss is all the more bitter because the Oregon franchise lost star Damian Lillard to a season-ending calf injury that has since recurred. Utah now has two wins over Portland (10-6) and Memphis. The Grizzlies did not play Saturday, but confirmed they will have to miss a few games for Ja Morant, who injured his ankle the day before against OKC.
The Clippers hit hard
Also crippled by the absence of one of its key players, James Harden, Philadelphia (8-8) in turn lost at home against Minnesota (112-109) at the very end, despite the rebellion of Joel Embiid (32 points), in an NBA night that decidedly was placed under the sign of tension. In Atlanta, the Hawks (10-6) did beat Toronto in overtime (124-122), while the Magic nearly surprised the Pacers (113-114). Indiana is 5th (9-6) and Orlando remains 13th (5-12).
On the other hand, there was no photo in Los Angeles, where the Clippers heavily dominated the Spurs (119-97), especially with the 26 points of guard Norman Powell, his third best total of the season. Thanks to this 10th win (7 for loss), Kawhi Leonard’s teammates, who scored 11 points (1 rebound, 4 assists), remain in the rhythm of the leading group of the Western Conference.
Source: Le Figaro
I am Dylan Hudson, a dedicated and experienced journalist in the news industry. I have been working for Buna Times, as an author since 2018. My expertise lies in covering sports sections of the website and providing readers with reliable information on current sporting events.