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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- By the time the lead reached 33, the
Portland Trail Blazers were laughing and their fans were chanting
"Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!"
|  | | Rasheed Wallace, who grabbed eight rebounds, played more minutes than anyone else -- 32. |
That what they think of the Utah's chances to come back and win a series that's been overwhelmingly onesided so far.
Steve Smith scored 19 points to lead six Blazers in double figures as the Trail Blazers jumped to an early lead and poured it
on in the second half Tuesday night for a 103-85 victory and a 2-0
lead over the listless Jazz.
"Because of our defense, we got easy layups and high-percentage shots, and everything started clicking," said Smith, who made six of eight shots. "It seemed like the ball just kept rolling in and going in for us."
While the Blazers' fans might be presumptuous, everything they've seen so far gives them reason to believe Portland will advance to the Western Conference finals for a showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers, who beat Phoenix by 18 in Game 1 of their series.
"This is the best I've seen a team play since I've been with
Utah, as far as I can remember, for 15 years," Utah coach Jerry
Sloan said of the Blazers, who shot 56 percent. "They just
annihilated us defensively."
Game 3 in the best-of-seven series is Thursday night at the Delta Center.
While Utah is just 1-14 in the playoffs in Portland, it has
beaten the Blazers 10 of 13 times in Salt Lake City. Still, that
didn't provide any comfort to the Jazz.
"I thought we had a few guys in our locker room who thought we had a chance," Sloan said. "I'm not sure we have anybody now."
The Blazers, who outscored Utah 29-14 in the fourth quarter of
Sunday's 94-75 victory, allowed just 16 first-quarter points
Tuesday night to squelch any hope of a Jazz comeback.
Greg Anthony scored seven points during a 10-0 run that put the Blazers ahead 41-22, and the lead kept growing from there. A hook
shot by Jermaine O'Neal, playing his first minutes of the playoffs, made it 93-63 with 7:37 left in the game. The lead reached 33 on
Bonzi Wells' three-point play.
Karl Malone was held to just 15 points, barely half of his
playoff average this season. Yet, his total actually led the Jazz.
Bryon Russell had 12 points, and the other three Jazz starters
combined for 13.
"We have to figure out a way to score," said Jazz guard Jeff
Hornacek, who scored two points on 0-for-3 shooting. "It seemed
like it was just helter-skelter out there for us. I don't know. I
have no answers."
Blazers coach Mike Dunleavy was wary of the team becoming
overconfident.
"We've done nothing here but hold serve," he warned. "We've done what we're supposed to do. The pressure was all on us. Now we've got to go into Utah and try to find a way to win a game there."
After Sunday's loss, Utah needed a quick start, and it didn't
come. The Jazz committed two turnovers on their first three
possessions and were outscored 13-6 in the last half of the period.
Rasheed Wallace hit a long jumper, and Scottie Pippen followed
with a 3-pointer to give the Blazers a 20-12 lead. Wallace hit a
short turnaround jumper, then followed his own miss as Malone
flopped on the floor for a 24-14 lead.
It only got worse for the Jazz after that.
The Blazers' reserves dominated the second period as Anthony and Detlef Schrempf combined for 19 points, matching the entire Jazz team's output.
Anthony schooled John Stockton at both ends of the floor during a key 10-0 run. First, Anthony hit a 17-footer, got fouled by
Stockton and converted the free throw to make it 34-22.
On the next possession, Stockton was stripped of the ball by
Anthony, who then hit a short running jumper. After the Jazz let
the shot clock run out, Anthony got fouled by Stockton and made
both free throws.
Schrempf made a 3-pointer to cap the run and extend the lead to
41-22 with 5:08 left. Anthony later hit a 3-pointer, and Smith
finished the Blazers' 32-point quarter with a long jumper for a
56-35 halftime lead.
"Our bench was big," said Pippen, who took just four shots and
scored five points. "They controlled the game for us. They came in
and played with a lot of intensity and a lot of energy."
The Jazz briefly came to life in the third, cutting it to 15 on
a 19-foot jumper by Stockton. But Damon Stoudamire hit a midrange
shot and, after Malone lost the ball, drove for a layup to build
the lead to 66-45.
Smith, who had 11 points in the quarter, hit a 3-pointer with
33.8 seconds left to make it a laugher at 80-55.
Game notes
Utah has led for just three minutes and 28 seconds in the
series, all early in the first quarter. ... The Blazers scored 27
points off 17 Jazz turnovers. Utah got 11 points off 18 Portland
turnovers. ... Wells scored 15 of his 17 points in the garbage-time
fourth. ... Jazz reserve guard Howard Eisley is just 7-for-31 in
Utah's last five playoff games.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Utah Clubhouse
Portland Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Coach Mike Dunleavy has been pleased with the Blazers' performance.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
For Jerry Sloan and the Jazz, it's difficult to look ahead.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Scottie Pippen and the Blazers have been responding to Utah's challenge.
wav: 78 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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