Utah Jazz 125-135 Denver Nuggets - 5 Talking Points as Donovan Mitchell's big game proves too little - Game 1 | NBA Playoffs 2020
The rivalry between the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz is shaping up to be a great one. The two teams went to overtime in their encounter on 8th August to finish with a score of 134-132 in favour of the Denver Nuggets. Today's game was in the same vein as they went to overtime once again.
The game was close for most of the way, with the highest lead not exceeding 12 points (taken by the Nuggets). Both teams were dealing with injuries and absences - the Utah Jazz doubly so, given the missing status of point guard Mike Conley and small forward Bojan Bogdanovic.
Despite the win for the Denver Nuggets, most of the headlines from this game will be taken by the Utah Jazz's first-time All Star Donovan Mitchell. The 23-year-old recorded the highest playoff score of the 21st century so far in a losing cause.
Let's take a look at 5 talking points from this humdinger of a game:
Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets: 5 Talking Points
#1 Juwan Morgan earned a starting berth for Utah Jazz
Mike Conley departed from the bubble on Sunday morning to tend to his wife, who's giving birth to their child. When viewed through the lens of Bojan Bogdanovic's absence, this means the second starter going missing for Utah Jazz.
Coach Quin Snyder had a bit of a decision to make, given Utah Jazz's rather thin swingman rotation. He opted to go with freshman Juwan Morgan, a 4-year graduate from Indiana University who went undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft.
The 6'7" power forward wasn't much of a factor on the offensive end for the Utah Jazz, save for the occasional drag screen set for the likes of Donovan Mitchell. But he provided a good body on defense.
#2 The Denver Nuggets started off hot from range
The game began on a close note as Utah Jazz and the Denver Nuggets went back and forth for the first 5 minutes. But the Nuggets began pulling away with a 3-point barrage midway through the first quarter. The Jazz's initial strategy of running the Nuggets off the 3-point line did not work for much of the first half.
The Denver Nuggets converted 11 of their 23 shots from 3-point territory in the first half, in what was a franchise playoff record for 3-pointers made in a half. Michael Porter Jr, Torrey Craig and Nikola Jokic all made some tough shots from the perimeter during the half.
If it wasn't for Jordan Clarkson taking the game into his own hands and making some key buckets for Utah Jazz, the Nuggets would easily have had a double-digit lead at halftime. As things stood at the break, they went into the locker room with only a 59-52 lead.
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#3 The Jazz got back in the game by crashing the glass
While the Utah Jazz did have the tallest player in the game (Rudy Gobert), their perimeter players are mostly shorter than those of the Denver Nuggets. It was, therefore, unexpected that they dominated the boards in the manner that they did.
Gobert turned the defensive pressure up several notches in the 3rd quarter as the Jazz allowed only 19 points from the Nuggets. In an uncharacteristically free-scoring 4th quarter, they allowed their 5-point lead from the 3rd quarter to dwindle to nothing.
Utah Jazz finished the game with a 52-41 advantage on the boards, including a 16-8 lead on the offensive glass. They manufactured quite a few points through offensive putbacks from all their players.
#4 Donovan Mitchell went OFF
The Utah Jazz were expected to rely heavily on their offensive leader and All Star Donovan Mitchell, and the first-time All Star did not disappoint. Spida finished the game with an astounding 57 points on 19-of-32 shooting. After a first quarter in which he scored only 2 points, Mitchell powered the Jazz comeback with 17 in the 2nd, 10 in the 3rd and 28 points during the 4th quarter and overtime.
Mitchell started off a little cold from the perimeter, which is the main reason why he only had 2 points before hitting the bench the first time. He worked himself into the game by attacking the paint with reckless abandon, and was soon connecting on his floaters, mid-range jumpers and step-back 3-pointers.
There was no stopping him after a certain point, as he scored bucket after bucket down the stretch to keep giving the Utah Jazz the lead back from the Denver Nuggets. Donovan Mitchell's 57-point game made him the youngest since Michael Jordan to net 50 points in a playoff game.
It's also the 3rd highest score ever in a playoff game, overtaking Charles Barkley, Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan's 56-point games.
#5 Jamal Murray sealed the game in overtime
The no. 6 pick in the 2015 NBA draft, Jamal Murray has always been slated for great things in the league. He made good on his promise tonight, taking over the reigns of the offense for the Denver Nuggets when they needed somebody to answer Donovan Mitchell's relentless barrage.
Murray finished with 36 points on 13-of-20 shooting during the game. The degree of difficulty and skill level involved in some of his shots was downright incredible. It was a pleasure for all fans to see his smooth step-backs, drives to the hoop and his two-man game with Jokic.
The Utah Jazz always looked likely to lose given their relative lack of roster depth compared to the Denver Nuggets, but it took some elite offense from Murray to finish them off.
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