Utah Jazz Take Down The Portland Trail Blazers In Preseason Opener

The Utah Jazz defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 92-73 Tuesday night in Salt Lake City. No player in this game scored above 12 points, as both squads spread the ball out to their entire team pretty well.

There are some key players to keep track of for both teams as the Blazers featured very little depth last season. Their starting five was the highest scoring in the league, in part because bench players did not play very much. They addressed that concern by adding veteran big man Chris Kaman, who will likely see solid minutes filling in for Robin Lopez.

Also, Will Barton, who came out of Memphis two years ago, figures to get in the mix as well. He came on strong in the playoffs for Portland, showing the ability to shoot a high percentage from deep. The starting unit, composed of Batum, Aldridge, Lillard, Matthews and the aforementioned Lopez, played about twenty minutes each. Barton led the way for the Blazers tonight with 12 points, hitting 2-of-5 from three-point range.

For the Jazz, it was an encouraging opening game, especially on defense. They limited a potent Blazers team to a 34 field goal percentage, while being relentless on the boards. Starting big men Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors combined for 18 rebounds and 2 blocked shots, as the Jazz would cruise to a relatively easy victory.

Kanter’s offensive repertoire looks deep, as he showcased his spot up jumper as well as his slashing ability. While the latter still looks a bit raw, the jumper was smooth early on. While Portland’s struggle last season was with their bench, the Jazz’s weak spot was their offensive production. However, the team has tried to fix that issue by drafting sensational Australian floor general Dante Exum. It will be interesting to see how Burke and Exum will function as a tandem as the young but talented guards work towards developing chemistry.

Burke will effectively play the two guard spot since he is the better shooter, and Exum excels at running the fast break. The team also added proven stretch four Steve Novak, who is regarded as an elite three-point shooter in the league. Those two, along with improved play from Trey Burke and Enes Kanter, should figure to boost Utah’s offense overall.

Another player to keep track of is Rudy Gobert, who shined for the Jazz during summer league and proved again tonight why he is a valuable backup big man. He snatched 11 rebounds while adding 8 points and 2 blocks, while fellow youngster Trevor Booker, who came over from Washington, added 4 points and 5 rebounds of his own.

The Portland Trail Blazers will take on the Utah Jazz once again on Thursday, but this time, it will be on their home floor. That game will take place at 7:00 PM EST.