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Utah Jazz Fall to Trail Blazers in Preseason Debut

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The new-look Utah Jazz look disjointed in their preseason opener against the Portland Trail Blazers.

At times it was beautiful; in the end, though, there was more ugly than anything else.

After months of anticipation, the Utah Jazz returned to the court on Monday to face Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers in their preseason opener. And while it was undoubtedly a thrill for hardcore fans to see the team and its new additions in action, the game was, well…preseason ball at its finest.

The defensive rotations weren’t as sharp, nor the passes quite as crisp or the shots as smooth as one would hope while Jazz coach Quin Snyder mixed, matched and experimented with a variety of lineups. In the end, the result was a 98-89 loss for the Jazz.

Utah stormed out of the gate, pushing the lead to double digits early. However, Portland answered the call and lead 30-28 after the first period. The hot-shooting Blazers continued to surge throughout the second quarter, until the Jazz utilized a late-quarter run to narrow the gap.

The Blazers led 53-51 at the half.

Gordon Hayward was key in keeping the Jazz in the game early. The Jazz star scored 17 points in the first half and got the line with ease, attempting eight free throws.

The third period was a different story. Derrick Favors came alive with strong moves in the paint and weakside defense, but the Jazz were outscored by 10 in the quarter.

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Snyder went deep into his bench — in total, 16 players saw time for the Jazz — and his squad simply couldn’t keep pace with the home team. A late 13-0 made it a two possession game during the final moments, but the comeback win was not to be.

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Hayward’s 17 led all scorers. Favors finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal. They were by far the team’s best performers and arguably the best players on the floor on either side. The team’s new additions — George Hill, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw — combined for just six points.

Dante Exum, appearing in his first live game action in over a year, finished with six points (making two three-pointers), three rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes. However, he looked hesitant offensively and a step slow at times on defense.

Meanwhile, the Blazers were led by Lillard’s 16 points; Allen Crabbe finished with 15 off the bench.

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