PORTLAND, Nov. 20 (BNA): Jordan Clarkson scored 28 points, including eight straight in the final 1:48, in the Utah Jazz’s 118-113 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night.
Malik Beasley had 29 points off the bench to help Utah lead the Western Conference 12-6, the Associated Press reports.
“We’re proud of the way we’ve represented ourselves after 18 games,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said.
“We think we can improve. That’s our focus. Like every team, we’re not a finished product yet. It doesn’t mean we’re proud of where we are at this point, but we can’t get lost in what anyone has to say about us.”
Beasley was a force throughout the game, especially in the second quarter, as he scored 15 points.
“I think he understands our system a little bit better,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said of Beasley, who made six three-pointers. “The timing of him coming off, the timing of how he comes off the screens was really good. His teammates found him at the right moments.”
The Jazz also scored 28 points from 18 Blazers turnovers.
“A lot of it is negligence,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “Some of it is other teams that pressure our passing and action. Some of it is unfamiliar with each other. There’s a lot that goes into that. But no matter what the problem is, we have to be better.”
Infernee Simmons led Portland with 23 points.
“It took us a long time to fight,” Billups said.
Both teams lost their starting points in the second half.
After hitting a screen, Utah’s Mike Conley left with a left knee injury with 10:22 left in the third quarter.
Shortly after Conley’s exit, Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard went to the locker room and did not return due to a tight right calf. Lillard has missed five games so far this season due to a calf strain.
“The last time was worse,” Lillard said of his current calf problem. “When I first stressed it out, I knew right away. The reason I pulled myself out was in the hope that this time we could move on instead of staying there and putting myself in a worse position.”
The fan has been removed
During the lost period in the second quarter, a pair of fans were removed from the game. Colin Sexton of Utah flagged the fan for security. Then security came to remove the crowd from the square.
Sharp surprise
Portland rookie Shedon Sharp has turned heads with his standout plays over his first 14 games. After not playing in a game during his only season at Kentucky, Sharpe averaged 10 points and shoots 51% from the 3-point streak. But he still has plenty of room to grow.
“A lot of it got thrown in in a short period of time,” said Billups. “He has to keep learning. That’s it. What we’re trying to do and why in fact. He’s having these great moments. And the sooner he gets these things going, the better for all of us.”
His growth also caught the eye of their opponents.
“It’s really hard being a young player in the NBA, so I don’t over-analyze anything he does or doesn’t do or a single game. But the progress I’ve made since we played with them earlier in the preseason, the sky’s the limit,” he said. Hardy said of Sharpe.
next one
Jazz: The Los Angeles Clippers host Monday night.
Trail Blazers: In Milwaukee Monday night.