Utah showed who was the better team tonight with a convincing 116-94 win over Portland. Although not exactly a blowout, Utah coach Coach Young and his players outplayed Portland from start to end. "I was hoping for a better outcome," said Portland coach Bob during a post-game interview. "But they just overpowered us, and there was nothing we could do to adjust. Coach Young's team was more talented and better-prepared, and it would have taken quite a bit of luck for us to overcome that."

The loss was tough on Portland fans, who had expected great things from their team after some offseason moves. "I think reality is starting to sink in," said one team. "We didn't expect to see other teams outplaying us this badly, but Utah sure made their point."

Utah was led by Riser (7 points, 6 boards, 15 assists, 3 steals), Henderson (9 points, 17 boards, 3 assists, 4 blocks), Fraser (9 points, 2 steals). Portland was led by Chapple (33 points, a steal, a block), Arnold (8 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks), Ortega (16 points, 5 boards, 1 assists).

After this win, Utah improve to 7-5 and 5-3 at home. They stay at #3 in the Northwest and improve to #6 overall in the Western Conference. Portland are now 6-7 with this defeat. They stay at #4 in the Northwest and stay at #10 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Utah* roster Portland roster