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Hornets at Blazers, 7 p.m. Friday
TV: CSN, cable Channel 37. Radio: FM 95.5
PORTLAND — The Blazers began the fourth quarter with a nine-point lead. That was mistake No. 1.
Five times before Saturday night, the Utah Jazz came back to win despite trailing in the fourth quarter, victimizing teams like the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic in the process.
So the Blazers, whose fingers have been noticeably slippery when holding leads this season, couldn’t have been too shocked when Utah emerged with the 103-94 victory.
The principal antagonist in Portland’s demise was Jazz guard CJ miles, who scored 25 points and hit seven of his 10 3-point attempts.
Five of his triples came in the fourth quarter, and many went uncontested.
Blazers forward Nicolas Batum said his team’s primary defensive focus was Deron Williams and Paul Millsap, who demand so much attention that an open Miles is sometimes a consequence. Blazers coach Nate McMillan didn’t see it the same way.
“We lost him in transition. We lost him a lot tonight,” said McMillan, whose team allowed 38 points in the fourth quarter. “You’ve got to defend the paint, but you’ve got to get out and close out to shooters.”
It was also Miles who gave Utah its first lead since the first quarter, when a bomb from beyond the arc put the Jazz ahead, 82-80.
It went onto build a 96-89 advantage, getting contributions from the likes of Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson and Deron Williams.
But Portland attempted a comeback that almost came to fruition.
Rudy Fernandez knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:37 left to cut the deficit to four, then LaMarcus Aldridge drilled a 20-footer to make it 96-94.
But Utah was the headline act Saturday night.
Miles’ final 3-pointer put the Jazz (9-5) up five, then Williams successfully stroked all four of his free throws. Portland didn’t score again.
One prominent statistic for the Blazers (8-6) on Saturday was their 24 offensive rebounds, which quadrupled those of the Jazz. Of course, hitting just 35 of 92 shots and 4 of 22 3-point attempts tends to create more offensive rebound opportunities.
But the stat Portland may have had the hardest time stomaching was its 18 turnovers compared with its 16 assists.
“We were loose with the ball,” said Blazers swingman Wesley Matthews, who played with the Jazz last year. “We were trying to hit home runs instead of singles. You can’t do that against a team like that.”
Added Batum: “We need to focus.”
The Jazz were playing without head coach Jerry Sloan, who missed his second straight game due to a family member’s funeral. In his absence, Utah went 36 for 75 from the field (48 percent), 10 of 19 from deep (52 percent) and grabbed 32 defensive rebounds to Portland’s 24
Aldridge had a team-high 24 points for the Blazers and added 11 rebounds. Matthews chipped in 16, but was 0 for 6 from 3-point distance. Andre Miller and Batum added 15 and 14 points for the Blazers, respectively.
Saturday marked the third straight game Blazers guard Brandon Roy sat out due to knee problems, but the team has a five-day layoff before hosting New Orleans on Friday.
Do they need the rest?
“I know I love to play,” said Marcus Camby, who totaled 14 rebounds. “But we have some guys that are banged up. We need to get our best player (Roy) back, but his body needs to be ready.”
Jefferson added 20 points for Utah. Williams, who hit just 3 of his 13 field-goal attempts, finished with 12 points and 11 assists.
The Blazers led by as many as 11 in the first half, but Utah cut the lead to three before the break. It was the sixth time the Jazz had rallied back from a double-digit deficit to win this season.
Matt Calkins can be contacted at 360-735-4528 or matt.calkins@columbian.com
