SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Bojan Bogdanovic scored 27 points while hitting six 3-pointers for the Utah Jazz's 123-85 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
Donovan Mitchell added 16 points, while Royce O'Neill scored 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz, who won their eighth straight home game. The Jazz enjoyed their biggest margin of victory last season, beating Sacramento 154–105 on April 28.
"I liked how we got the ball rolling," said Utah coach Quinn Snyder. "I thought we defended."
Trendon Watford scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Blazers. Keon Johnson scored a career-high 15 points and a career-high five assists. CJ Alebi scored 10 runs.
Portland have lost six games in a row since the NBA All-Star break and were out on 194 points in that stretch. The Blazers have registered five 30-point losses in their last six matches.
Against Utah, the Blazers matched the lows of the season for first quarter points (15) and third quarter points (14).
"I thought we got some pretty cool looks to be honest with you, just couldn't make the shot," said Portland coach Chancey Billups. "If we can't make shots and we can't stop them, we have a tough night."
Eight players were inactive for Portland on Wednesday, including the Blazers' top three scorers: Damien Lillard, Jusuf Narkic and Anferney Simmons. With so many key players sidelined, the Blazers quickly struggled to keep pace with Utah's offense.
Portland missed 11 of its first 12 shots and fell 19 points behind in the first quarter. Utah took a 31-12 lead in the final minutes of the quarter when Mike Connelly scored 15-4 with a 3-pointer.
The Blazers reduced the deficit to 33–21 on back-to-back jumpers from Albie and Ben Macklemore at the start of the second quarter, The Jazz responded with a 13–1 run and extended their lead to 46–22. . Jordan Clarkson boosted the run with a pair of back-to-back baskets and free throws.
Portland took 29% of the shots from the field in the first half. Utah sticks to 56% of the targets in its area.
"Obviously it's a great defensive team, probably the best shot blocker out there in the league," Watford said. "I think we went into a little slump where we couldn't score and that affected our defense."
The Jazz took a 51-point lead in the third quarter - their biggest in a game this season. Utah went 94-43 on a pair of free throws from Trent Forrest with 2:34 left in the quarter.
"When you get a big lead, sometimes it's like you've changed the way you play," Snyder said. "I didn't think that happened. I felt like we continued to play the right way at both ends."
Tip ins
Blazers: Elijah Hughes made his second debut for Portland since the acquisition in a trade with Utah. Hughes finished 21 minutes with five rebounds, two assists and zero points. ... the Blazers scored a total of 49 points in the fourth quarter, becoming the first NBA team to score less than 50 points through three quarters this season.
Jazz: There were no starts in the fourth quarter for Utah and every active player on the roster played for at least seven minutes. ... the Jazz only made nine turnovers.
Next
The Blazers host the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
The Jazz visit the San Antonio Spurs on Fridays.