National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Utah 112, Portland 102
When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, April 1, 2013
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Officials: #27 Dick Bavetta, #16 David Guthrie, #15 Bennett Salvatore
Attendance: 18336
Jazz 112, Trail Blazers 102: Al Jefferson led the way with 24 points and 10 rebounds as host Utah won its fifth straight and put another dent on Portland’s playoff chances.

Mo Williams added 20 points and nine assists and Derrick Favors scored 18 for the Jazz, who moved a half-game in front of the idle Los Angeles Lakers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Trail Blazers, who have lost five straight, dropped 5 1/2 games behind the Jazz with eight games left. Wesley Matthews scored 23 points and Damian Lillard added 17 for Portland, which will play six of its final eight at home but has only one left against a team with a sub-.500 record (the 36-37 Dallas Mavericks).

Utah began the game with a 7-0 burst and never trailed. Jefferson scored eight points in the first quarter and Randy Foye knocked down a pair of 3-points to make it a 29-19 lead after the first.

The Blazers got within a point late in the second but Williams hit a 3-pointer to spark a 9-3 run and leave the Jazz up 56-49 at the break. The lead swelled to as much as 103-84 when Favors hit a layup with 6:43 left in the game and Utah let the reserves close it out.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Blazers shot 58.2 percent, including 13-for-23 from 3-point range, but were dominated in the paint 52-28 and turned the ball over 16 times. … Portland was without All-Star F LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle) for the third straight game. … A 3-pointer by Lillard in the first quarter gave him 167 on the season, passing the rookie record set by Golden State’s Stephen Curry in 2009-10. Lillard went 3-for-7 from beyond the arc to reach 169.
Top Game Performances
 
Portland   Utah
Wesley Matthews 23 Scoring Al Jefferson 24
Eric Maynor 8 Assists Mo Williams 9
J.J. Hickson 7 Rebounds Al Jefferson 10
Will Barton 2 Free Throws Made Derrick Favors 6
Will Barton 1 Steals Randy Foye 2
Meyers Leonard 1 Blocks Al Jefferson 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Portland 102 58.2 13-23 11-17 25 30 2 2 16
Utah 112 54.2 9-22 13-18 26 32 3 7 6
Upcoming Games
  • Utah will play their next game at home against Denver. The Jazz have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Portland will play their next game at home against Memphis. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.