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Las Vegas • In the NBA, coaches preach playing inside-out and pounding the ball inside. Doing so loosens the defense and creates opportunities on the perimeter.

On Saturday, in a 72-63 Summer League loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Utah Jazz tried the opposite. It didn't work.

Instead of pushing the ball into the paint, the Jazz fired way from deep. Instead of creating a balance, the Jazz resembled a one-trick pony, and the offense suffered.

"We've got to be better at having a balance," Utah coach Zach Guthrie said. "We've got to move the ball better and we've got to run our offense with more efficiency."

The Jazz didn't do that against the Blazers and the statistics bear it out. Utah shot 6 for 30 from the field. The Jazz made just 31 percent of their field goal attempts. They turned the ball over 20 times and had just nine assists.

Utah rookie Donovan Mitchell played well overall, but still shot just 8 for 26 from the field. He led all scorers with 19 points, and once again played well defensively with four steals. Having played their third game in four days, the Jazz were a bit tired, and the fatigue showed particularly in the second half. "We didn't break the paint tonight," Guthrie said. "We weren't breaking the paint, getting someone open and taking open shots. We have to get better at that."

Portland big man Caleb Swanigan — a Salt Lake City native — was great in his pro debut, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Former Utah State star Spencer Butterfield scored 11 points for the Jazz.

Fourth in five

The Jazz may elect to sit Mitchell on Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers, Guthrie said.

Utah will be playing its fourth game in five nights, which explains the fatigue and heavy legs that were on display Saturday.

"We'll have to watch the film and make a decision," Guthrie said.

If Mitchell doesn't play, it would be the first game he's sat out this summer.

tjones@sltrib.com Twitter: @tribjazz