TRAIL BLAZERS 103, JAZZ 102
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) _ Damian Lillard scored 25 points and the Portland Trail Blazers, boosted by the return of centre Robin Lopez, held off the Utah Jazz.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points and 11 rebounds as Portland snapped a three-game losing streak.
After wrestling for the lead to start the fourth quarter, Wesley Matthews hit two straight 3-pointers and the Blazers went up 98-89 with 3:26 left.
Gordon Hayward’s 3 closed the Jazz to within 99-96, but Lillard answered with a driving layup. Joe Ingles hit another 3 for the Jazz to pull within 101-99 with 9.9 seconds left.
Aldridge made free throws before Trey Burke hit a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds to go. Lillard missed his first free throw on the other end, then missed the second one intentionally and time ran out on Utah.
Hayward finished with 27 points for the Jazz.
Alwin Marshall-Squire is the Editor-in-Chief of S-Q Publications Inc., overseeing editorial strategy for GTA Weekly, GTA Today, and Vision Newspaper. He leads the publications’ mission to deliver bold, original journalism focused on the people and communities of the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, and the global Caribbean diaspora.
Also writes for GTA Weekly and GTA Today.
