Damian Lillard Drops 42 as Blazers Fall to Jazz After Controversial No-Call

One of the best games of the NBA regular season featured a controversial ending en route to the Utah Jazz's 117-114 home win over the Portland Trail Blazers at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Friday.

With the Jazz up 116-114, Blazers point guard Damian Lillard sliced into the lane and attempted a layup over Rudy Gobert. The big man blocked the shot but committed defensive goaltending.

However, officials did not make the call. Furthermore, as ESPN play-by-play man Ryan Ruocco explained on the broadcast, the play could not be reviewed because replay rules state that defensive goaltending can only be looked at if a violation was initially called.

Bogdan Bogdanovic went to the free-throw line for two shots after Gary Trent Jr. committed a foul. He made one, giving the Blazers a chance to tie the game at 117.

Portland got off an open look with big man Caleb Swanigan launching an open three-pointer from the corner, but the shot was no good as time expired.

Lillard finished with 42 points on 16-of-30 shooting, six rebounds and six assists. He played 43 minutes for the short-handed Blazers, who were without center Hassan Whiteside (lower left-leg contusion), Anfernee Simons (concussion suffered in first quarter) and Trevor Ariza (double technical after arguing with an official in the second quarter).

Damian Lillard Reel

01:27

Lillard has scored 42 or more points in six of his last nine games.

CJ McCollum also played 43 minutes for Portland and scored 27. Trent had 16 off the bench.

Bogdanovic led the way for the Jazz with 27 points. Rudy Gobert added a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double.

Bojan Bogdanvic Reel vs. Portland

01:40

The Jazz broke a five-game losing streak to go to 33-18. The Blazers, who had won five of their last six, fell to 24-29.

Notable Performances

Blazers PG Damian Lillard: 42 PTS, 6 AST, 6 REB

Blazers SG CJ McCollum: 27 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST

Blazers G Gary Trent Jr.: 16 PTS, 4 REB, 4 STL

Jazz SF Bojan Bogdanovic: 27 PTS, 4 REB, 2 STL

Jazz SG Donovan Mitchell: 16 PTS, 7 AST, 6 REB

Jazz C Rudy Gobert: 16 PTS, 14 REB, 2 AST

Controversial Ending Shouldn't Obscure Fantastic Effort from Dame, Blazers

There's no guarantee the Blazers would have won had Gobert been called for goaltending, which would have given the Jazz the ball with a little over 10 seconds remaining.

Still, the sting from this game won't go away anytime soon for a team fighting just to make the playoffs. The Blazers entered Friday in a tough spot for numerous reasons.

First, they found out that they'd be without Whiteside, who would have given Portland the best chance to neutralize Gobert, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Second, the Blazers were going up against a Jazz team that entered the evening 18-5 at home. Portland has struggled on the road, as evidenced by its 10-17 mark heading into Friday.

The challenges only mounted when Simons was ruled out and Ariza was ejected.

That left the Blazers with just seven players and a significant disadvantage against a healthy Jazz team, but Dame Time appeared as though it would supersede all obstacles.

Lillard, who dropped 16 first-quarter points, added 11 more in the second quarter. Thanks in part to his efforts, the Blazers went on a 31-14 run to end the first half after both Simons and Ariza left the game.

The ex-Weber State star went on a six-game run from Jan. 20 to Feb. 1 in which he averaged 48.8 points on 54.8 percent shooting (57 percent from three-point range). The scorching-hot All-Star buoyed his team to a 5-1 record during that stretch.

Lillard came back to earth in the last two games, averaging "just" 23.5 points, but even a tough Jazz defense—ranked eighth heading into Friday (107.2 points allowed per 100 possessions, per NBA.com)—had no answers.

Utah came out strong in the second half, cutting the deficit to one before the fourth quarter started and eventually going on a 9-0 run that featured a dunk, a pair of tip-ins and a Bogdanovic three-pointer.

The Jazz's size and depth looked as though they would be too much for Portland, but Dame and his team had other ideas. Down 109-102 after a Joe Ingles and-1 layup, the Blazers responded with five straight points started by a McCollum three-pointer.

The teams then traded punches, but Lillard came through with an incredible double-pump three-pointer to tie the game at 112. He then responded to a Bogdanovic layup with a two-pointer via a 15-foot floater.

Donovan Mitchell then sprinted to the hoop for a layup, which set up an ending that should be talked about for quite some time.

A victory escaped Portland's grasp, but the Blazers put up a valiant effort just to be in the game in the closing seconds.

That moral victory may not be enough, however, for a team that could use an actual win as it tries to chase down the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

What's Next?

The Blazers will host the Miami Heat on Sunday at Moda Center at 9 p.m. ET .

The Jazz will begin a two-game road swing on Sunday against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center at 7 p.m. A matchup with the Dallas Mavericks follows the next day.