Blazers nearly squander 22-point lead, hold off Jazz

Jrue Holiday scored 27 points and hit four key free throws in the final seconds to lift the visiting Portland Trail Blazers to a 136-134 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City.

Deni Avdija added 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant each scored 18 and Toumani Camara netted 17 as Portland held on to win after blowing most of a 22-point fourth-quarter lead.

Lauri Markkanen recorded 32 points and Keyonte George poured in 29 points for the Jazz, who squandered an early 13-point lead. Walker Kessler contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds as Utah took its first loss in three home games this season.

Portland wound up shooting 21-for-55 (38.2%) from 3-point range and seemed to have the game in hand several minutes into the fourth quarter.

However, after Holiday hit a trey for a 122-100 lead, the Jazz made a furious rally in the final 8:39 to pull within a point with 7.7 seconds left.

Kessler started the comeback with a 3-pointer and later finished off a 13-0 run with another triple, cutting the Blazers' advantage to 124-116.

Utah still trailed by 12 points with less than 3:30 remaining before it reeled off a 12-1 run, including Cody Williams' first two buckets of the season.

Markkanen made it a one-point game by sinking two free throws with 9.3 seconds remaining.

Holiday pushed the lead back to three with a pair of freebies a second later, and Portland immediately fouled George to prevent a 3-point attempt by the Jazz after a timeout. George hit both free throws.

Holiday then made another pair with 5.9 seconds left for a three-point advantage.

Again, the Blazers fouled the Jazz before they could take a 3-point shot. Kyle Filipowski hit the first free throw, making it a two-point game, and then purposely missed the second attempt.

Holiday clinched the win for Portland by grabbing the defensive rebound and running out the clock.

The Jazz used a 14-0 run, capped by a Jusuf Nurkic 3-pointer, to seize their biggest lead, 41-28, in the first quarter.

Portland chipped away at the deficit and then burst ahead for the first time in the second quarter after Duop Reath drained two treys in a 10-point spurt that put the visitors up by four.

The Blazers, bolstered by four players in double figures, went into the break up 79-73 after outscoring Utah 46-30 in the second quarter.

Portland carried the momentum into the second half with a 9-3 run to open the third quarter, eventually building a 21-point lead in the period.

--Field Level Media