Trail Blazers at Jazz
THE STORY: It’s not often at this point in the season that the Utah Jazz are just playing out the string but unfortunately that’s how it is in the 2010-11 campaign. The Portland Trail Blazers were the ones that were supposed to struggle through their myriad of injuries and miss the playoffs. But instead the Blazers have come together and thrived, clinching a playoff spot on Tuesday despite a loss. Portland still has some positioning issues to sort out, however, and it will be looking to stay a step ahead when it visit’s the Jazz on Thursday.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE JAZZ (37-41): Utah has only one losing record - a 26-56 mark in 2004-05 - over the last 28 seasons and can avoid another if it can find a way to win its last four games. The fact that all four are against Western Conference playoff teams might make that a little tough, however. After Portland the Jazz hit the road for trips to San Antonio and New Orleans before finishing up with the Denver Nuggets. Utah did manage to find a win on Tuesday, emerging with an 86-85 triumph over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Gordon Hayward scored a career-high 22 points and drained the go-ahead free throw with six seconds left. The victory snapped an eight-game losing streak.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (45-33): Portland backed into a playoff berth on Tuesday when the ninth-place Houston Rockets dropped a 104-101 decision to the Sacramento Kings. The Blazers were tied with the Golden State Warriors, 47-47, at the half when they found out that news and played like they had nothing else to gain in the second half before falling, 108-87. LaMarcus Aldridge collected 17 points and 12 rebounds and Wesley Matthews added 17 points in the loss. Currently tied with the New Orleans Hornets (45-33) for sixth place in the Western Conference, Portland would get the seventh seed if the season ended today thanks to its 1-3 record against the Hornets. The eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies (44-34) are one game behind in eighth.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Paul Millsap has scored at least 20 points in back-to-back games for the Jazz while Al Jefferson has struggled over the same span, combining for 22 points on 9 of 31 shooting. Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez combined to shoot 3 of 20 off the bench for the Blazers on Tuesday. Roy is 7 of 27 over the last four games.
KEY STATISTIC: The Jazz have no clue at the offensive end lately, averaging 88.0 points over the last five games with defenses able to collapse on Jefferson due to the absence of any other offensive weapons.
SEASON SERIES: Utah won at the Rose Garden, 103-94, back on Nov. 20 but has dropped the last two in the series, 96-91 in Salt Lake City on Dec. 27 and 100-89 three days later in Portland. All three of those games took place during the Jerry Sloan/Deron Williams era, however. The Jazz had won five straight in the series before the December meetings.
KEY INJURIES: PORTLAND: C Marcus Camby (neck). UTAH: G Devin Harris (hamstring); C Francisco Elson (knee); F Andrei Kirilenko (knee); G Raja Bell (foot); C Kyrylo Fesenko (thumb); G Ronnie Price (calf); G C.J. Miles (ankle)
LAST WORD: “(Tuesday) was bad,” Portland coach Nate McMillan said. “This was one of those games where you burn the tape and move on.”