The Portland Trail Blazers got back in the win column against the Utah Jazz , taking the Halloween afternoon matchup, 112-90.
After suffering their first loss of the season to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Blazers took care of business on the road from start to finish, leading by as many as 28 points.
The win improved the Blazers' record to 3-0 on the road and 4-1 overall.
With the disappointing news earlier that star guard Ja Morant would miss the next four weeks with a hamstring strain, Portland needed a collective effort to get back to its winning ways on the road, with five players scoring in double figures.
The early tip-off might have thrown a few fans off their usual schedules, so I took a look at the three statistics that stood out most in the game's box score.
Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson dunks the ball against the Utah Jazz during the first quarter at Delta Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With Morant confirmed to be out for at least four weeks, Portland had an opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of having so much backcourt depth.
Micah Nori said pregame that Scoot Henderson would start in Morant's place, which caught many members of the media and fanbase off guard.
With a skilled veteran like Jrue Holiday on the roster, it was expected that Holiday would fill the void in the starting lineup. However, I fully agreed with the decision to start Henderson.
Henderson was insulated offensively by having Deni Avdija and Damian Lillard alongside him, while the move allowed Holiday to lead the second unit, where he contributed 14 points.
After a rough and sporadic start, Scoot grew into the game and made impactful plays on both ends of the floor.
Henderson finished the night with 14 points, three rebounds, one assist and three steals against Utah. He also led the team in minutes played, which is quite a large change from his usual 20 minutes per game average this season.
There were still some points of concern with his performance.
Every Portland starter finished with a plus-minus of at least +20, while Henderson finished at -5. Not ideal when you're playing 31 minutes in a 22-point win.
I expect the performances to improve going forward, and the numbers will likely follow with the surplus of minutes he will likely continue to see.
Trail Blazers guard Vit Krejci passes the ball past Jazz guard Darryn Peterson during the second quarter at Delta Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After Henderson, Krejci was the biggest beneficiary of the minutes opened up by Morant's absence.
24 minutes is far and away the most he has played this season and the fifth-most he's played for Portland since being acquired from Atlanta at last season's trade deadline.
I previously wrote that the early stages of the season would be crucial to Krejci's future on this Portland team , and potentially in the NBA as a whole. So far, it has been a season from hell for the Czech international.
Prior to the win against Utah, Krejci was shooting just 13 percent from the field and averaging a mere 1.8 points per game.
However, there were signs of life in Salt Lake City.
Not necessarily in the box score-Krejci contributed just five points, four rebounds and two assists- but rather in his ability to make the right reads and passes throughout the win.
There will continue to be opportunities for Krejci in the immediate future with Morant sidelined. Hopefully, he can stack games and reps together and work his way towards the level Portland needs from him.
Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija brings the ball up the court against the Utah Jazz during the first quarter at Delta Center | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With many questions surrounding his usage and role in this star-studded offense, Avdija has picked up exactly where he left off last season.
Avdija finished the game in Utah with 24 points, five rebounds, two assists and a plus-minus of +32 to lead all players.
This was Avdija's fourth straight game with more than 20 points- he had an 18-point performance in the season-opening blowout win- which is something that should come as a surprise to no one.
Avdija's skill set continues to improve and is being utilized brilliantly in Micah Nori's system.
And returning to the question of his usage, last season Avdija-who seemingly had the ball on every possession-finished with a usage rate of 28.5 percent. So far this season, that number sits at 27.8 percent.
A fractional drop-off, but one that feels far more significant due to the pressure and spacing that the likes of Morant and Lillard have provided so far this season. It's almost as if you can feel how much easier each possession has been for him.
With Morant sidelined for at least a month, we can expect Avdija to shoulder an even greater offensive responsibility. But it's nothing the All-Star forward can't handle.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/trailblazers/onsi as 3 Box Score Stats That Stood Out in Blazers Win vs. Jazz .
