This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Portland, Ore. • On a cold night in the Pacific Northwest, the Trail Blazers are staying warm.
Hot.
Burning, even.
The Blazers blistered the nets in the first half against the Utah Jazz on Friday night, hitting 10 of their 13 attempts from 3 to take a 67-56 lead into the locker room.
The Jazz have had their share of shooting struggles this season, but the first half wasn't one of those performances. Utah shot better than 54 percent from the field.
The Jazz trailed by 20 less than a minute into the second quarter.
But Alec Burks helped spark a comeback effort, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the quarter. Jeremy Evans came off the bench to score eight and grab seven rebounds in the first 24 minutes.
But on the other end of the court, the Jazz couldn't slow down Damian Lillard and the Blazers. Lillard scored 21 points in the half, schooling Jazz rookie Trey Burke in the process.
Former Jazz man Wes Matthews had 10 in the half. And All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge, whose play of late earned him a light cheer of MVP from the fans at Moda Center Friday, chipped in nine points and nine rebounds.
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