Utah Jazz at Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, April 2 looks like a mismatch on paper. Our ratings give the Trail Blazers about a 87% chance, and the Jazz would need an unusual night to change that.
Why the gap is wide
The Win Meter reads the Trail Blazers 87%, with a projected score of Utah Jazz 109, Portland Trail Blazers 121. The rating gap is 233 points in favor of the Trail Blazers, and home court and rest add about 99 rating points for the Trail Blazers on top of that.
A reading this high has real meaning, but upsets of this size happen. Nearly one game in 8 like it goes the other way.
Recent form
The Jazz are 1-3 this season and 1-4 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -11.4. The Trail Blazers are 2-0 this season and 2-3 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -0.6.
The Jazz were beaten 131-107 on the road by LAL not long ago.
The Trail Blazers' best recent win was 124-83 at home against PHX.
The Trail Blazers were beaten 114-93 at home by SAS not long ago.
Injuries to watch
Out: Jusuf Nurkic (UTA), expected back Nov 4, 2026, Trey Alexander (UTA), expected back Oct 28, 2026, Shaedon Sharpe (POR), expected back Mar 2, 2027, Chris Youngblood (POR), expected back Oct 29, 2026, and Jayson Kent (POR).
Day to day or questionable: Jaxson Hayes (UTA), Lauri Markkanen (UTA), Jaren Jackson Jr. (UTA), and Branden Carlson (POR). Their status can change before tip-off.
The season series
In our records of recent meetings, the Trail Blazers lead 6-2, with the Trail Blazers outscoring the Jazz by an average of 0.4 points per game. The last meeting was UTA 114, POR 124.