It’s only December, but the battle for positioning in the 2025 NBA Draft has begun. On Friday night the Portland Trail Blazers welcomed the last place Utah Jazz to Moda Center for a showdown to see who can better their odds when it’s time to let the ping pong balls decide the fate of Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, and other top draft prospects. The Blazers drew first blood in this battle to the bottom, losing to the Jazz 141-99 in front of a disappointed home crowd.
On paper, the Blazers’ starting lineup featured way more talent than the upstart Jazz, but you wouldn’t know it after the first quarter.