The Utah Jazz sure excel at giveaways.
Except these freebies aren’t for their fans. It happens to be the opponents who are loading up and cashing in.
The Jazz will look to vastly cut down their turnovers as well as attempt to end a five-game losing streak when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.
Utah committed a staggering 29 turnovers during Tuesday’s 133-106 road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The miscues led to 45 points for the Thunder.
“Our ball security got really exposed,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “They really preyed on us in terms of our lack of quick decision making, (we) got caught in the crowd too much, we didn’t fight for our space very well.
“This was going to be the determining factor of the game, from my standpoint, before the game started. It ended up being very much the deciding part of the game.”
There could be a large number of turnovers inside the arena on Friday. Not only do the Jazz lead the NBA with 18.5 per game, the Trail Blazers are second-worst at 17.1 per outing.
In the contest against the Thunder, Utah was outscored 25-9 on fastbreak points. Oklahoma City also committed just eight turnovers.
On the Jazz side of the ledger, five players committed four or more turnovers.
“My biggest fear is that the guys don’t see or feel that they are improving when it comes to the foundation of our defense,” Hardy said. “The turnovers are going to be something that if we can’t get it under control, it’s going to be distracting from the things that are improved.”
Utah has lost nine of its last 10 games as it tries to solve the turnover issues.
Collin Sexton and Walker Kessler (11 rebounds) led the Jazz with 17 points each against Oklahoma City. Overall, six players had at least 13 points.
The Jazz are just 2-8 on the road as they take on the Trail Blazers, who are 5-5 at home. Portland has dropped six of its past eight games.
The Trail Blazers were pounded 127-105 by the host Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. Portland had five players score in double figures, led by Deandre Ayton with 16 points and Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe with 15 apiece.
“Got off to a rough start again in the game,” Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “I thought our second group came in and saved us and they really got us back in it. Kind of revitalized us as a group and it ended up being a good first half.
“And then we just kind of chopped and were clawing the rest of the way in the third quarter and then boom, it got away from us.”
Avdija and Dalano Banton (14 points) were the top Portland reserves against the Clippers.
Big man Robert Williams III (concussion) will miss his fifth straight game for the Trail Blazers.
Portland has allowed more than 120 points in four of the past five games, losing each time it gave up at least that amount.
The Trail Blazers entered play Thursday ranked 21st in scoring defense at 115.3 points per game. Utah was 28th at 118.6.
The Jazz won three of four meetings last season. The teams split the two contests in Portland.
–Field Level Media
