Lauri Markkanen Carries Jazz Offense In Third Quarter Against Portland

SALT LAKE CITY – Lauri Markkanen carried the offensive load for Utah as the Jazz attempted to lower the Portland lead.

Markkanen posted 37 points through three quarters.

The genre is 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘢𝘻𝘻 🎵#Pura3Pointer | @pura pic.twitter.com/MltuAAv66e

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 23, 2023

Utah trailed by as much as 15 to Portland in the third.

Markkanen was the only Jazzman in double figures. Meanwhile, four Trailblazers had ten or more points.

👀 that KO vision was right on the markk 👀 pic.twitter.com/azjuqoAGmN

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 23, 2023

Markkanen did all of his work with an apparent injury. The all-star was seen holding his wrist on multiple occasions.

Markkanen’s heroics allowed the Jazz to close the lead down to five.

The @utahjazz are currently on a 12-4 run and have trimmed the @trailblazers lead to just seven with 2:36 left in the third.

Markkanen is up to 37 points in the game. #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/JygCzoZ7Fe

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 23, 2023

The Jazz have dug out surprising wins in their last two outings beating the Boston Celtics on Saturday before downing the Sacramento Kings on Monday.

The Trail Blazers meanwhile own the league’s longest losing streak at six games.

Markkanen Back As Jazz Host Blazers

The Jazz will see All-Star Lauri Markkanen return to the lineup on Wednesday after the forward missed Monday’s game with a sore back.

Rookie Ochai Agbaji stepped up in Markkanen’s absence scoring a career-high 27 points on 8-14 shooting including 6-10 from the three-point line.

The @utahjazz lottery odds are dwindling, but Ochai Agbaji and Walker Kessler should put your tanking anxiety at ease. #TakeNote https://t.co/M2ZWQxjU7P

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 21, 2023

Reserve guard and former Trail Blazer Kris Dunn also had his best game in a Jazz uniform scoring 18 points and dishing out 10 assists in 31 minutes of the bench.

The Jazz will still be without Jordan Clarkson who is missing his seventh consecutive game with a finger injury while Collin Sexton is missing his 12th straight game with a hamstring injury.

Trail Blazers Have Lost Six Straight

Despite entering the second half of the season with an eye on the playoffs, the Trail Blazers ook bound for another high lottery pick.

Portland is just 3-10 since returning from the All-Star break despite a tremendous run from guard Damian Lillard.

a midweek game day 🤍

⏰ 7:00PM MT
📺 @attsportsnetrm
📻 @kslsportszone | @kslsports
📍 @vivintarena
🎟️ https://t.co/16cttQ9oW8#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/SrMFhxvIRc

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 22, 2023

The former Weber State superstar is averaging 35.5 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.5 rebounds over his last 12 outings.

The Trail Blazers are 2-2 since the All-Star break when Lillard scores at least 41 points, and 1-6 when he falls below the mark.

Portland will be without starters Anfernee Simons (foot) and Jerami Grant (quad) when they face the Jazz.

Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers Broadcast

The Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers will tip off at 7 pm MT in Salt Lake City. The game will be televised on AT&T SportsNet and can be heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. It can also be streamed on DirecTV Stream and FuboTV.

Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter at @ChandlerHoltKSL.

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