Playing the seventh Christmas Day game in franchise history—and their first since 1997—the Utah Jazz grabbed the lead midway through the first half and didn't let go, cruising to a 117-96 holiday victory over the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night in Salt Lake City.
"It means the world to play on Christmas Day," Utah's Donovan Mitchell said. "As a kid I'd watch all the games on Christmas, and I did the same thing today. Then I had to lock back in and get ready to play."
Mitchell was indeed locked in, leading the Jazz (17-18) with 19 points on 8-for-18 shooting.