Donovan Mitchell Drops 45 as Jazz Beat Kawhi Leonard, Clippers in Game 1 Thriller
The top-seeded Utah Jazz keep rolling.
Utah defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 112-109 in Tuesday's Game 1 of their second-round series at Vivint Arena. Donovan Mitchell was brilliant and led the way for the victors, who prevailed at home even though Mike Conley was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
While Mitchell spearheaded the effort, it was Rudy Gobert's block on a Marcus Morris Sr. three-pointer in the final seconds that clinched the win.
A solid showing from Kawhi Leonard wasn't enough for the Clippers, who also lost two of three to the Jazz during the regular season.
Notable Player Stats
- Donovan Mitchell, G, UTA: 45 PTS, 5 AST, 3 REB
- Bojan Bogdanovic, F, UTA: 18 PTS, 5 REB
- Jordan Clarkson, G, UTA: 18 PTS, 6-of-14 3PT
- Kawhi Leonard, F, LAC: 23 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST
- Paul George, G, LAC: 20 PTS, 10 REB
- Luke Kennard, G, LAC: 18 PTS, 4-of-6 3PT
Donovan Mitchell Takes Over in Comeback Win
The availability of Conley was a major storyline entering Game 1, and never was his absence felt more than in the first quarter when the Jazz missed a stunning 21 consecutive field-goal attempts.
While Mitchell is the go-to option, Conley is the one who controls the pace, directs the offense, sets everyone up in ideal position to score and even creates shots for himself. Without that presence, Utah's offense completely fell apart right out of the gate against a Clippers squad that can send some of the league's best defenders at outside shooters.
Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson were expectedly aggressive without Conley, and Joe Ingles facilitated to keep the home team within striking distance despite the abysmal start.
Without those efforts, the game might have been essentially over by halftime. Instead, Mitchell put the Jazz on his back in the third quarter with an array of deep three-pointers and drives to the basket. He gave Utah its first lead of the second half with an assist to a cutting Royce O'Neale, who was also key on the defensive side against the Clippers' wings.
Mitchell's dominance, along with timely threes from Clarkson, tied the game heading into the fourth and gave the Western Conference's top seed a chance to steal a comeback win without its point guard.
Win the Jazz did, thanks in part to their swarming defense. They made Leonard work for every look, largely shut down Paul George outside of free throws and iced the game on that end with Gobert's block.
That was enough with Mitchell answering every Clippers' momentum swing with clutch basket after clutch basket. Los Angeles had no answer for him in crunch time, whether he was launching deep threes or attacking even the smallest lanes. It was a superstar performance from a player who continues to thrive in the postseason.
Paul George Struggles as Clippers Blow Opportunity
If anything, Tuesday's game likely felt like something of a reprieve from the pressure for the Clippers.
After all, they prevailed in two win-or-go-home games to keep their season alive after falling behind 3-2 against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in the first round. Game 1 against the Jazz was an opportunity to steal home-court advantage, but this could very well be a long series with bigger contests to come.
They came out like they weren't feeling the pressure at all and jumped out to a 13-point halftime lead behind a balanced offensive effort.
Luke Kennard caught fire from deep off the bench, DeMarcus Cousins and Ivica Zubac provided a quick burst, Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum found their stroke from three-point range, and L.A. was still in control even though Leonard and George were relatively quiet in the early going.
Even with all that and Leonard asserting himself as more of a scorer in the third quarter, the visitors lost their lead and were tied heading into the fourth in large part because George was lost on the offensive end.
George, who finished 4-of-17 from the field, continued to force the issue into the fourth quarter, and it felt like a win for Utah every time he shot instead of Leonard. Were it not for Kennard helping make up for the seven-time All-Star's struggles, the game might have gotten away from the Clippers even sooner.
Still, the end result was a loss for the Clippers and more questions about George's playoff performances.
What's Next?
Game 2 of the series is Thursday in Utah at 10 p.m. ET.
