Deni Avdija had 33 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in three quarters, falling just short of his second consecutive triple-double, and the Portland Trail Blazers routed the Utah Jazz 137-117<\/p>\n
PORTLAND, Ore. — Deni Avdija had 33 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in three quarters, falling just short of his second consecutive triple-double, and the Portland Trail Blazers routed the Utah Jazz 137-117 on Monday night.<\/p>\n
Shaedon Sharpe scored 29 for the Trail Blazers (17-20), who have won three straight games and five of six. Donovan Clingan pulled down 17 rebounds to go with 12 points.<\/p>\n
Avdija, the reigning Western Conference player of the week, played nearly 29 minutes before sitting out the fourth quarter as Portland nursed a comfortable lead. The 6-foot-8 forward from Israel had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on his 25th birthday Saturday night in a 115-110 victory at San Antonio. <\/p>\n
Lauri Markkanen scored 22 points for the Jazz (12-23), and Jusuf Nurkic had 21 points and 12 boards after missing two games with a sprained toe on his left foot. Utah has dropped four in a row and eight of 10.<\/p>\n
Portland shot 53% from the floor, including 19 for 48 (40%) from 3-point distance, and missed only one of its 21 free throws. Sharpe hit five 3s and Avdija drained four. Sharpe also had seven assists and five rebounds.<\/p>\n
Seven players scored in double figures for the Blazers, including all five starters. Toumani Camara had 15 points, while Caleb Love and Sidy Cissoko added 14 apiece off the bench. Kris Murray finished with 10. <\/p>\n
Portland led 78-57 at halftime and 114-83 after three quarters.<\/p>\n
Jazz: Visit the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder to wrap up a four-game trip Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
Trail Blazers: Host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night in the opener of a two-game series.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n