Trail Blazers Dominate and Take 2-0 Series Lead

In the end, all the Utah Jazz was playing for was its dignity.

And there wasn’t much left of that.

The Jazz certainly doesn’t have much hope left, not after its 103-85 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, which left Utah down 2-0 and wondering if it can win even one game in this best-of-seven series.

Game 3 is Thursday night in Salt Lake City.

Steve Smith scored 11 of his 19 points in the third quarter, and five of his teammates scored in double figures as the Trail Blazers jumped to an early lead and squelched any hope of Utah coming back from its 94-75 loss in Game 1.

Karl Malone was held to 15 points, almost half of his playoff average. Yet, his total actually led the Jazz. Bryon Russell had 12 points.

Malone, showing no ill effects from a left knee injury Sunday, got little help from his teammates for the second consecutive game. The rest of Utah’s starters scored 25 points, two less than Sunday.

A basket by Jermaine O’Neal, playing his first minutes of the playoffs, made the score 93-63 with 7:37 to go. The lead was high as 33.

Only a fourth-quarter flurry by the Jazz reserves kept this loss from ranking among Utah’s most lopsided in the playoffs, although it didn’t come close to a 96-54 loss to the Chicago Bulls in Game 3 of the 1998 NBA finals.

After Sunday’s loss, Utah needed a quick start, and it didn’t come. The Jazz committed two turnovers on its first three possessions and were outscored, 13-6, in the last half of the quarter.

Rasheed Wallace made a long jumper, and Scottie Pippen followed with a three-point basket to give the Trail Blazers a 20-12 lead.

Wallace made a short turnaround jumper, then followed his own miss for a 24-14 lead as Malone flopped on the floor

Utah, outscored 29-14 in the fourth quarter of Game 1, was outscored 24-16 in the first Tuesday night.

And it only got worse for the Jazz after that.

Portland’s reserves dominated the second quarter as Greg Anthony and Detlef Schrempf combined for 19 points, matching Utah’s entire output.

Anthony schooled John Stockton at both ends of the floor during a key 10-0 run. First, Anthony made a 17-footer, got fouled by Stockton and converted the free throw to make the score 34-22.

On the next possession, Stockton was stripped of the ball by Anthony, who then made a short running jumper.

Schrempf made a three-pointer to cap the run and extend the lead to 41-22 with 5:08 left. Anthony later made a three-point basket, and Smith finished the Blazers’ 32-point quarter with a long jumper for a 56-35 halftime lead.

The Jazz briefly came to life in the third, cutting the lead to 15 on a 19-foot jumper by Stockton. But Damon Stoudamire made a mid-range shot and, after Malone lost the ball, drove for a layup to build the lead to 66-45.

Smith, who had 11 points in the quarter, made a three-point shot with 33.8 seconds left to make it a laugher at 80-55.

Utah has led for only three minutes 28 seconds in the series, all early in the first quarter.

Portland scored 27 points off 17 Jazz turnovers. Utah got 11 points off 18 Portland turnovers.