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PORTLAND — Lauri Markkanen hit the biggest shot of the night … at least up until that point.
Markkanen's straightaway 3-pointer tied the game with 14.1 seconds remaining. Fourteen seconds later, though, Scoot Henderson was celebrating the game-winner.
Henderson got Walker Kessler to bite at the rim before he turned and hit a game-winning jumper to lift Portland to a 122-120 win over the Utah Jazz Thursday at the Moda Center.
Henderson had 18 points and 10 assists in one of the best games of his young career after being taken with the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
Markkanen led the Jazz with 25 points — including 8 in the fourth quarter — on 8-of-14 shooting. Collin Sexton had 19 points and 11 assists, and the Jazz had five players reach double figures even without Keyonte George, John Collins and Jordan Clarkson, who all missed the game due to injury.
"That's a tough loss, because I felt like through three quarters our defense was really good," Jazz coach Will Hardy said.
That defense helped Utah build a 15-point lead in the second half before the game turned in the final 12 minutes. The Jazz gave up 23 points at the rim through three quarters, and then allowed 24 at the rim in the fourth.
"Our defense just sort of fractured," Hardy said. "They put a lot of pressure on us driving the ball downhill."
Deni Avdija scored 12 points in the fourth to lead the comeback, and then Henderson finished the game off with his downhill move.
"It's disappointing," Hardy said. "The fourth quarter is the most recent feeling that we have, but I thought it was three quarters of really good basketball by our team."
Svi Mykhailiuk, who started his third straight game for the Jazz, had 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. Drew Eubanks added 15 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting night, and Johnny Juzang scored 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.
"We've gotten better every single time we've gone out there, executing different stuff and getting more of a rhythm with each other," Eubanks said. "And I like where we're at."
It's the second straight Utah loss that came in the final minutes — something the pro-tanking Jazz fans are certainly pleased about. The Jazz were down by one possession in the final two minutes against Cleveland on Monday.
"I feel like it's a great experience for all of us, especially because we have a young team; and close games teach us a lot how to play," Mykhailiuk said. "I hope we learn from our mistakes."
Another positive from Thursday: The Jazz got some much-needed competitive minutes for their rookies.
Isaiah Collier, who started in place of George, scored all 7 of his points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, but struggled in the final minutes, finishing the quarter with four turnovers.
Cody Williams, playing his first NBA game since Nov. 23, played six minutes in the fourth quarter, though, didn't register a stat outside of a personal foul. As a whole, Williams scored 5 points in his return from the G League. Kyle Filipowski finished with 6 points and four rebounds in 18 minutes (six in the final frame) on Thursday.
"They're all more comfortable than they were to start the season," Hardy said. "There's, obviously, still a lot of work to do, and the great part is that they all have moments, and I think watching them play a lot in the G League, we're continuing to build an understanding of who they are, but also where they are in the process."
Hardy said he's seen a lot of improvement in their understanding on both sides of the ball, and he's pleased with the way the players have approached this season.
"They're digging in," Hardy said. "They're working individually, they're working in practice. They're working on the film. I do think they're all really competing, which is the most important thing for me, building those foundational habits of competitiveness every night. I'm happy with all their progress."
