PORTLAND — Lauri Markkanen was out late Friday night as he treated a lower back injury, but his absence didn’t matter.

The Jazz built a 23-point halftime lead, increased it to 30 early in the third quarter, and then beat the Trail Blazers 141-99 – an all-around solid performance from a Utah team that has struggled at times this season putting together a consistent game.

Friday was the opposite, as the Jazz did everything they wanted against a Trail Blazers team with just eight wins this season. At one point in the fourth quarter, the Jazz had a lead of as many as 46, which was the largest lead in the Will Hardy era.

Walker Kessler had a dominant double-double performance – his fifth straight – finishing with 13 points, 17 rebounds and a team-high five blocks. He was a key component for the Jazz, outscoring the Trail Blazers 49-27 through three quarters before Hardy pulled off his starters.

Utah also outscored Portland 54-30 through three quarters in the game – several easy dunks – and managed more than 30 points in each quarter of the game.

The Jazz had nine players finish in double figures, with John Collins leading the starters with 20 points on 7 of 10 shooting in just 28 minutes of play. Fellow starter Keyonte George added 17 points and Collin Sexton finished the game with 16 points and no turnovers.

Svi Mykhailiuk started for Utah and had 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

But it was Johnny Juzang who put on a show in the second session and led the team in scoring. The former UCLA star came off the bench and made 6 of 11 from 3-point range, finishing with 22 points.

Even when we won, everything wasn’t perfect, but it was hard to be critical. But Hardy found ways to teach his team anyway, especially in the third quarter when Portland kept fighting back.

With Portland making multiple runs in the second half, Hardy at times used timeouts as a teaching opportunity while attempting to limit the opposing team’s runs. Even with a stunning win, there was a lot to learn for a young team in the midst of rebuilding.

However, the next step for the Jazz won’t be to take a step back after one of the best overall performances of the season.

This story will be updated.