Lillard Drops 11 in Seven Minutes as Portland Leads by Nine

Portland seized a 27-18 first-quarter lead, outscoring Utah by nine to open the game. Damian Lillard has 11 points in 7:02, shooting 3-for-4 from the field and 2-for-3 from three. Deni Avdija added eight points and has a team-best plus-13, while Utah’s Mo Bamba has four points in 5:44. The 3-1 Trail Blazers, ranked ninth in the power index, have the early edge over the 1-4 Jazz, ranked 26th.