PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) 鈥� -Jordan Clarkson scored 28 points, including eight straight in the final 1:48, in the Utah Jazz鈥檚 118-113 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night.
Malik Beasley had 29 points off the bench to help Utah take the Western Conference lead at 12-6.
鈥淲e鈥檙e proud of the way we鈥檝e represented ourselves after 18 games,鈥� Jazz coach Will Hardy said. 鈥淲e believe we can get better. That鈥檚 our focus. Like every team, we鈥檙e not a finished product yet. That doesn鈥檛 mean we鈥檙e proud of where we are at this point, but we can鈥檛 get lost in what anybody is saying about us.鈥�
Beasley was a force throughout the game, especially in the second quarter, where he scored 15 points.
鈥淚 think he鈥檚 understanding our system a little bit better,鈥� Jazz coach Will Hardy said about Beasley, who made six 3-pointers. 鈥淭he timing with which he鈥檚 cutting, the timing of how he is coming off screens has been really good. And his teammates have been finding him at the right moments.鈥�
The Jazz also scored 28 points off 18 Blazers turnovers.
鈥淎 lot of it is carelessness,鈥� Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. 鈥淪ome of it is other teams pressuring our passes and activity. Some of is unfamiliarity with each other. There鈥檚 a lot of thing put into that. But regardless of what the issue is we have to be better.鈥�
Anfernee Simons led Portland with 23 points.
鈥淲e took too long to fight,鈥� Billups said.
Both teams lost their starting point guards in the second half.
After colliding into a screen, Utah鈥檚 Mike Conley left with a left knee injury with 10:22 left in the third quarter.
Not long after Conley exited, Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard went to the locker room and did not return because of tightness in his right calf. Lillard has missed five games so far this season with the calf strain.
鈥淭he last time was worse,鈥� Lillard said of his current calf issue. 鈥淲hen I first strained it, I knew right away. The reason I took myself out is so hopefully this time we can get ahead of it instead of me staying out there and putting myself in a worse position.鈥�
FAN REMOVED
During an injury timeout in the second quarter, a pair of fans were removed from the game. Utah鈥檚 Collin Sexton pointed the fan out to security. Security then came to escort the fans out of the arena.
SHARPE SURPRISING
Portland rookie Shaedon Sharpe has turned heads with highlight plays over his first 14 games. After not playing in any games during his one season at Kentucky, Sharpe is averaging 10 points and shooting 51% from the 3-point line. But he still has plenty of room to grow.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much being thrown at him in a short period of time,鈥� Billups said. 鈥淗e has to continue to learn. That鈥檚 all. What we are trying to do and actually why. He鈥檚 having these unbelievable moments. The faster he can speed up with those things it鈥檚 better for all of us.鈥�
His growth has caught the eye of their opponents too.
鈥淏eing a young player in the NBA is really hard so I don鈥檛 over analyze any one thing he does or doesn鈥檛 do or one game. But the progress he鈥檚 made since we played them earlier in the preseason, the sky鈥檚 the limit,鈥� Hardy said about Sharpe.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Host Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.
Trail Blazers: At Milwaukee on Monday night.
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Erik Garc铆a Gundersen, The Associated Press
