Niang, Allen rally Jazz bench by Portland for preseason road win

PORTLAND, Ore. — Utah’s preseason win streak was at an impasse in the Pacific Northwest.

But even in the preseason, the Jazz second unit wanted to win.

Georges Niang scored nine points off the bench, including a pair of clutch 3-pointers to fuel the Jazz’s 19-0 run in the fourth quarter en route to a 123-112 in a preseason game at the Moda Center in Portland.

Donovan Mitchell led Utah with 21 points, two assists and three steals, and Joe Ingles added 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the preseason win. Derrick Favors had 11 points and four rebounds for Utah, and Rudy Gobert added 10 points, six rebounds and a steal.

“We started playing defense,” said rookie Grayson Allen, who had eight points and four assists in 13 minutes off the bench. “The group that we had out there at the end was really good … and that turned into some good offense.

“This time right now is good experience for me. I haven’t felt like I played really well, to be honest. But it’s great experience, it’s a lot of fun, and when we come in, we want to win.”

Former Weber State star Damian Lillard led all scorers with 23 points and seven assists, CJ McCollum added 21 points and four assists, and Just Nurkic supplied 20 points and 11 rebounds for Portland.

And even though the Blazers led by as much as 15 points in the second half, they couldn’t close the door as Utah improved to 4-0 in the preseason with its second comeback against an NBA team.

McCollum had 16 points and three assists in the first half, and all five of Portland’s starters scored in double figures before the break en route to a 61-50 lead that featured a Blazers side that shot 57 percent from the field — including 9-of-19 from three.

"I didn’t think we played well," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said after the game. "I thought we just didn’t play good defense. A lot of it was not being focus; there were breakdowns, and I don’t think we had the level of intensity on the defensive end against a team that has terrific offensive players."

After trailing by as much as 15 points through the first three quarters, the Jazz cut the deficit as low as one when Dante Exum hit a driving layup, 92-91 with 10:33 left in the game. Nik Stauskas capped a quick 6-0 run with a dunk 90 seconds later, as Portland held the Jazz below 50 percent shooting.

Still, with just over five minutes left to play, the Jazz had a chance.

Portland clung to a 104-10 lead in the fourth quarter, when rookie Georges Niang — fresh off a full contract with the Jazz — nailed an ice-cold 3-pointer to give Utah its first lead since the early stages of the game, 105-104.

Royce O’Neal added a driving layup on the Jazz’s next possession, and Utah scored its 17th-straight point on rookie Grayson Allen’s 3-point play to go up 116-104 with 2:46 remaining and pull away for the win.

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