NBA Game Summary - Portland at Utah 04.9.2006
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Salt Lake City, UT (Basketball News) - Matt Harpring led all scorers with 29 points as the Utah Jazz kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 110-93 win over Portland at the Delta Center.
Andrei Kirilenko had 24 points, nine rebounds, seven blocks and five assists for the Jazz, who moved 2 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Utah is in a tie with New Orleans/Oklahoma City on the outside looking in to the playoffs.
Mehmet Okur scored 18 points and grabbed 10 boards for Utah. Carlos Boozer and Keith McLeod each scored 11 points, while Harpring added a season-high six assists.
Zach Randolph scored 28 points and snatched nine rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who lost their fourth straight game against Utah. Darius Miles scored 13 points, Steve Blake had 12 and Sebastian Telfair added 10 off the bench.
With the Jazz holding on to a six-point lead in the third quarter, Deron Williams converted a three-pointer to ignite a 12-3 run as Utah built a 15- point lead with 2:22 left to play. The lead rose to 16 after a Devin Brown three-pointer, but the Trail Blazers scored the last five points of the period to cut the deficit to down to 11, 83-72, heading into the fourth.
Telfair converted a three-point play and then nailed a running jumper to bring Portland within seven, 86-79, with 9:58 left to play in regulation, but the Trail Blazers failed to make a basket over the next six minutes as Utah re- built a 14-point lead with less than four minutes to play. Portland did not get closer than nine the rest of the way.
Capped by a Kirilenko three pointer, the Jazz raced out on a 10-1 run to start the game and led by seven at the end of the first quarter, 32-25.
The Trail Blazers got to within three in the second quarter after Miles drained two from the charity stripe, but Harpring nailed a trey with four seconds left as Utah led 56-50 at the break.