Utah at Portland

[Xiao Yao You]

Injury report, per CBS Sports— (POR) Anfernee Simons, hamstring (game time decision)
— (POR) Nassir Little, health and safety protocols (out)
— (POR) Zach Collins, ankle (expected to be out until Jan. 30)
— (UTA) Derrick Favors, knee (game time decision)
Projected starters:— POR — Damian Lillard (G), CJ McCollum (https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mccolcj01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-) (G), Derrick Jones Jr., (F), Robert Covington (F), Jusuf Nurkic (C)
— UTA — Mike Conley (G), Donovan Mitchell (G), Joe Ingles (F), Bojan Bogdanovic (F), Rudy Gobert (C)

[RoseCity07]

Blazers played with little to no effort most of the pre season. I'm curious to see how they play in a real game. Were they conserving their energy or is their defense really going to be shit to start the season?

[Xiao Yao You]

Blazers played with little to no effort most of the pre season. I'm curious to see how they play in a real game. Were they conserving their energy or is their defense really going to be shit to start the season?

Jazz looked good defensively in preseason but that would be the concern with them as well.

[Xiao Yao You]

waste challenge early! :cheers:

[Xiao Yao You]

he was moving. Be hard to overturn

[RoseCity07]

Blazers blew quite a few chances to expand a lead. Missed lay ups. Now trailing. Melo looks bad.

[Xiao Yao You]

Pretty good quarter. Pulls Conley and Rudy the only two guys doing anything so Clarkson can gun. Favors couldn't handle Enes so they had to bring Rudy back in.

[Xiao Yao You]

Blazers blew quite a few chances to expand a lead. Missed lay ups. Now trailing. Melo looks bad.

he is bad

[insidehoops]

Jazz looking good

[Xiao Yao You]

They are. Blazers usually a tough matchup for them. They aren't at full strength though

[coin24]

Melo looking good with those braids, play wise not so much:oldlol:

[Xiao Yao You]

Melo looking good with those braids, play wise not so much:oldlol:

still sucks. He's a starter

[Xiao Yao You]

Luckily they haven't had to go with Favors/Gobert. Might have with Collins playing

[LoneyROY7]

Dame? Hello? You there?

:oldlol:

[RoseCity07]

Lillard 0 points in the first half. It's not even good defense on him. He's just bricking shot after shot. He's not ready.

[Xiao Yao You]

They've been doubling Lillard. If they can defend like that they'll be tough to beat. Great 2nd quarter

[insidehoops]

Jazz up 65-44 on Blazers at the half. Damian Lillard and Carmelo Anthony 0/10 FG.

[Marchesk]

Jazz up 65-44 on Blazers at the half. Damian Lillard and Carmelo Anthony 0/10 FG.

Dame take any 40 footers yet?

[Xiao Yao You]

Jazz up 65-44 on Blazers at the half. Damian Lillard and Carmelo Anthony 0/10 FG.

Carmelo taking 10 shots isn't a good game plan with the weapons they have

[RoseCity07]

I think the Blazers will be significantly better with Zach Collins comes back. Also Nassir Little has got to get minutes of Carmelo. He's a young athletic defender than can get out on the break and has a decent 3 point shot. That is better than what Carmelo offers.

[Xiao Yao You]

I think the Blazers will be significantly better with Zach Collins comes back. Also Nassir Little has got to get minutes of Carmelo. He's a young athletic defender than can get out on the break and has a decent 3 point shot. That is better than what Carmelo offers.

Zach would certainly change things against the Jazz who have no 4 other than Favors and they have no spacing if that happens

[Marchesk]

At least Melo made it into double digit scoring ...

[RoseCity07]

Good game. Jazz got us good tonight. I think we're going to be much better in about a month. This team just isn't together. Hood isn't back to his old self. Stotts has so much work to do to figure out how to get the most out of this team.

[Xiao Yao You]

At least Melo made it into double digit scoring ...

yeah he picked it up in the 2nd half. Dominating performance by the Jazz though.