3 takeaways from the Jazz’s Halloween horror show against the Blazers

I promise the Utah Jazz are trying to win games this season, even if it didn't look like it Saturday afternoon.

Utah suffered one of its worst performances of the young season in front of the Jazz faithful, falling 112-90 to the Portland Trail Blazers at the Delta Center.

The Jazz never really found their footing, as they trailed by double-digits for a majority of the afternoon and failed to put together a meaningful run to make things interesting.

Maybe it was the early 1 p.m. start. Maybe it was Halloween festivities on the mind. Maybe it was simply a bad day at the office. Whatever the reason, there wasn't much to like about this one.

Here are three takeaways from Utah's loss.

A Halloween horror show from the opening tip

The Jazz couldn't have gotten off to a much worse start.

Utah opened the afternoon shooting just 3 of 14 from the field and watched Portland put together a 17-0 run in the first quarter. Even more surprising was that coach Will Hardy didn't call a timeout during the entire stretch.

The Jazz eventually found some offense through their bench and managed to cut the deficit to nine points by the end of the first quarter, but the damage was already done.

The second quarter wasn't much better. The Blazers opened with another 7-0 run, and Utah struggled to generate anything consistently on the offensive end.

Before the game, Hardy acknowledged that his young players have been dealing with some stress and uncertainty as they try to establish themselves in the league.

"There's sort of like an uncertainty of where they fit in the league," Hardy said. "We're very unproven, and I think that does lead to some anxiety in different moments."

He also mentioned that some of the poor body language fans have seen comes from frustration when the work players put in during practice and film sessions doesn't immediately translate to wins.

Saturday was a pretty clear example. There was a noticeable lack of energy throughout the game, whether it was the body language on the court or the quiet huddles during timeouts.

The Jazz looked like a team that couldn't find an answer.

Turnovers and physicality continue to haunt the Jazz

The Jazz have struggled to find consistent offense this season without center Jusuf Nurkic, and Saturday was another reminder of how important his presence is.

Nurkic is arguably Utah's best passer, and his absence has put additional pressure on a young group of guards to create offense and get everyone involved.

The Jazz had several stretches Saturday in which the ball movement disappeared, possessions ended with poor shots and Portland's defensive pressure made it difficult for Utah to even get into its halfcourt offense.

Hardy actually addressed the team's turnover problems before the game, pointing out how quickly a few mistakes can derail an entire stretch.

"I think turnovers as the game has gone on has hurt us," Hardy said. "I think we're seeing pockets where it's three and four turnovers in, you know, five or six possessions."

That problem showed up again Saturday afternoon. Utah finished with 20 turnovers, and the Blazers' physical defense consistently bothered the Jazz's ball handlers.

After the game, Hardy noted the team's inability to take care of the ball continues to be a major problem.

"Our ability to be solid with the ball is continuing to haunt us," Hardy said, "and you couple that with a night where you can't make a 3."

The Jazz shot poorly again from deep, going 11-40 from beyond the arc.

But Hardy wasn't interested in blaming everything on poor shooting. He said Utah struggled with both its shot-making and its overall offensive execution.

"I don't think we played very good," Hardy said. "I think the ball pressure bothered us, our screening wasn't very good, our ability to handle the ball pressure ... that 48 minutes of offense, for sure, is not up to the standard."

Surprisingly, with the way the game was going, the Jazz did finish with more assists than turnovers, but 20 giveaways are difficult to overcome, particularly when the team is struggling to generate quality looks.

The Jazz still have to figure out their defensive discipline

This might be the most interesting takeaway from Saturday.

Despite the lopsided score, Hardy actually felt his team defended well enough to win.

"I thought we guarded well enough to win the game," Hardy said.

He pointed to Utah's ability to protect the paint and rebound as positives, but acknowledged that the team still has to clean up its fouling, particularly when defenders get their hands caught on opposing players.

"The first half, the fouling was a little bit out of control," Hardy said. "We're not getting a bad whistle. ... We're fouling."

That's an important distinction for a young team that is still learning how to defend at this level. The Jazz can't afford to give opponents easy trips to the free-throw line while trying to establish a defensive identity.

Portland on Saturday shot 41 free throws, the most an opponent has went to the strip this season. The Blazers' two best players in Damian Lillard and Deni Avdija got to the paint at ease when they were attacking the rim.

Hardy also pointed to Portland's physicality as a major reason for his team's offensive struggles. The Blazers' pressure disrupted the Jazz's rhythm, and Utah struggled to create and maintain advantages.

"We need better screening, and then when we do have the advantage, we can't give it back," Hardy said.

The Blazers built their advantage to as many as 26 points in the third quarter, and Utah never put together a serious run to get back into the game. They were outrebounded, outmuscled and outcoached.

The Jazz are a young team, and Hardy knows there will be lessons from nights like Saturday, but learning from losses only matters if the team starts showing improvement.

Saturday was a reminder that this team has plenty of work to do as it enters a 1-5 hole to start the season.

Next up is a rematch against San Antonio.