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Portland • On opening night, Damian Lillard delivered the business to the Utah Jazz. Using a mixture of drives to the basket and 3-point bombs from the perimeter, the Portland Trail Blazers All-Star scored 39 points, and got buckets in almost every manner.
Saturday night, at the Moda Center, the former Weber State star made opening night look like child's play.
In what was a 101-86 win over the Jazz, Lillard scored 59 points, proving unstoppable from the opening tip. Lillard scored 26 of those points in the first quarter. He scored 19 in the third quarter, slicing easily through Utah's defense in the process.
"We let him get going early, and it's tough to stop him when he's making shots," Jazz guard Shelvin Mack said. "When guys like that get it going, he's hard to guard. He got into the groove, he hit a lot of tough shots with a hand in his face. He got too comfortable."
Saturday's loss was an important one for the Jazz, who have been locked in a battle with the Los Angeles Clippers for control of the fourth spot in the Western Conference and the home-court advantage that comes with it in the first round of the playoffs.
The Clippers went on the road Saturday and defeated the San Antonio Spurs. So Utah's loss to Portland puts the Jazz in fifth place. Technically, the two teams are tied with identical season records at 49-31. But the Clippers hold the tiebreaker advantage, which means the Jazz will have to finish a game ahead in order to secure home court.
With their final two games against Golden State and San Antonio, the Jazz face an uphill challenge in overtaking the Clippers. At the same time, the Jazz aren't as much worried about that. They simply want to be healthy and playing well when it counts.
"We don't really care," Mack said. "We're not going to get the number one overall seed. So at some point, we're going to have to win a game on the road."
Saturday night wouldn't produce a road win for Utah, because Lillard wouldn't allow it. His point total represents the most in a single game in franchise history. It's the most points the Jazz have allowed a player since giving up 60 points to Kobe Bryant in last year's season-finale. It's the second-most points the Jazz have allowed a player since moving to Utah.
To put Lillard's game in perspective, Portland's second-leading scorer on Saturday was Maurice Harkless, who had 12 points. Lillard was efficient, shooting 18 of 34 from the field. He hit nine 3-pointers, went 14 of 16 from the free-throw line, and found time to grab six rebounds and hand out five assists.
"We needed to do a better job on him, but he scored in so many different ways, you just have to tip your hat to him," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "We didn't play well. It wasn't our best game tonight. We gave it an effort, but Portland was better than us tonight."
Gordon Hayward led Utah with 21 points, to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Rudy Gobert had 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Joe Johnson and Rodney Hood scored 13 and 11 points, respectively.
But, in addition to their defense on Lillard, the Jazz shot just 40 percent from the field, and went just 6 of 19 from 3-point range. The Jazz led just once, and trailed by as many as 20 points in front of the sellout crowd at the Moda Center.
To make things worse, Utah suffered another injury, losing point guard Raul Neto to a sprained ankle. Neto had been back for the first time since missing over a week to a strained groin.
Twitter: @tribjazz —
Storylines
R Damian Lillard becomes the only player in NBA history to record 59 points and nine 3-pointers in a game.
• The Jazz fall to the fifth seed in the West.
• Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert picks up his second technical foul in as many games.