Portland 98, Utah 87
Gerald Wallace collected 29 points and eight rebounds and Nicolas Batum scored 21 as the Portland Trail Blazers moved back into sole possession of sixth place in the Western Conference with a 98-87 victory over the host Utah Jazz on Thursday.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 12 points and 11 boards and Wesley Matthews chipped in 18 points for the Blazers (46-33), who moved one-half game ahead of the New Orleans Hornets (45-33) in the race to avoid playing the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
Devin Harris scored 26 points but committed seven turnovers for the Jazz (37-42), who have lost nine of 10 to clinch the franchise’s first losing season since the 2004-05 campaign.
Portland assumed control from the start on Thursday, building up a 27-18 lead after the first quarter and never trailing. Utah kept it within single digits until the end of the third quarter, when the Blazers closed with an 11-3 spurt.
The Jazz never got closer than eight points in the fourth.