The Blazers were looking pretty good for three quarters against Utah in this October 7, 2018 preseason game. Then the fourth quarter happened. Here are the original full-game highlights, along with a little historical context.
Looking back: Blazers blow a fourth-quarter lead against Utah
Historical update (November 2026): Portland hosted the Utah Jazz at the Moda Center on October 7, 2018, and lost 123–112. The Blazers led 33–24 after the first quarter and still held a 92–84 lead entering the fourth. But Utah outscored Portland 39–20 in the final period, including a 19–0 run fueled by its reserves. Not exactly the finish you wanted to see, even in the preseason.
Damian Lillard led Portland with 23 points and seven assists, while Jusuf Nurkić grabbed 11 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell scored 21 for Utah, and Joe Ingles added 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Georges Niang and Grayson Allen helped swing the game with the Jazz’s second unit in the fourth quarter.
Of course, that ugly fourth quarter didn’t tell us much about how the season would turn out. Portland went on to finish 53–29 and reach the Western Conference Finals in 2019. Utah finished 50–32 and lost to Houston in the first round. It’s a good reminder not to read too much into preseason scores—even when a late collapse is annoying to watch.
See the official NBA game summary for the quarter-by-quarter scoring. For another preseason highlight video from that year, check out our Blazers vs. Raptors highlights from September 29, 2018.