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For two point guards on the Utah Jazz roster, Monday night's preseason opener at Portland will likely be their last road game with the team.

Coach Tyrone Corbin said before Sunday morning's practice he expects to carry three point guards into the abbreviated 66-game regular season.

Among the 18 players in camp, the Jazz have five point guards, including veterans Devin Harris and Earl Watson.

They probably aren't going anywhere, which means free agents Jamaal Tinsley, Keith McLeod and Scottie Reynolds are likely wrestling for one spot on the final roster.

Corbin, of course, did not drop any hints about who is leading the three-man race.

"It's been a great battle," he said. "We've had some great practices. ... We have some good guys to choose from. It will be interesting to see what happens."

The Jazz have two young wing players in Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks who handle the ball well enough to play some point guard.

Still, Corbin believes in having three pure point guards on the roster, especially with the coming rigors of a shortened season.

"You get one guy hurt, it puts you in a real bad bind," he said. "If you don't have a [capable] guy at point ... then your whole team is thrown off of everything."

Tinsley, McLeod and Reynolds get their final chance to impress Corbin and his staff in Portland and during Wednesday night's rematch with the Blazers at EnergySolutions Arena.

Problem?

Corbin must divide a grand total of 96 minutes among his five point guards.

He can't afford to sit Harris and Watson, either, because they must be as prepared as possible for the season opener on Dec. 27 against the Lakers.

"We'll try to get guys minutes ... so we can get a good look at them and so they can get some kind of rhythm going," Corbin said.

"We want to be fair. The guys have been working extremely hard. It's going to be a tough task. But if they compete during the minutes they get, we'll get a good look at everybody."

McLeod hopes to stick with the Jazz for the second time in his career.

He averaged 7.8 points and 4.5 assists in Utah during the 2004-05 season.

The following year, he averaged 5.6 points and 2.3 rebounds, mostly while playing behind then-rookie Deron Williams.

Corbin likes McLeod because "he competes so hard. He's a tremendous competitor. He's ready. He's in great shape. He's got a great attitude. He's a good guy to have on the team."

McLeod has played 200 games in the NBA, including 119 with the Jazz.

Since the end of the 2006-07 season, he has played in Italy, Greece and the NBA Development League.

"He's been around," Corbin said. "He's been playing basketball forever. I have a lot of respect for the guy. He comes to work every day and just competes."

Beyond helping settle the point guard situation, the games against Portland will help the Jazz players acclimate to each other.

"Most importantly," Harris said, "we want to get everybody on the same page, especially on the defensive end.

"We've been working really hard in practice. It will be good to go against somebody else and see where we are and what we need to improve on." —

Jazz at Portland

P At the Rose Garden

Tipoff • 8 p.m. MST

TV • ROOT Sports

Radio • 1320 AM, 98.7 FM, network stations

Records • First preseason game

About the Jazz • They went 8-0 in the preseason last year. ... The last time a lockout shortened the preseason to two games (1998-99), they split with Denver. After a 108-90 win in Utah, they lost in double overtime at McNichols Arena, 116-111. ... F Paul Millsap (quad tendinitis) is listed day-to-day.

About the Blazers • G Brandon Roy has retired. ... They have signed G Jamal Crawford, C/F Kurt Thomas and F Craig Smith. ... C LaMarcus Aldridge is not expected to play after undergoing a heart procedure last week. But he has returned to practice and might play in Utah on Wednesday night.