Despite 32-point performances from both Damian Lillard and Norman Powell, the Portland Trail Blazers fought a fruitless battle, losing in a wire-to-wire, 120-105 matchup against the Utah Jazz. In a game that had the makings of a potential blowout just five minutes in, Portland showed signs of grit, despite having eight players sidelined. In the end, they dropped their fourth straight game, falling to 13-21, No. 12 among Western Conference powers.
The bright side is that the Blazers are soon poised to bid goodbye to a nightmarish December, in which they’ve gone 2-10 — eight of those 10 losses coming by double-figures — with one more matchup to go.