Jazz-Clippers live blog: 3 takeaways from Utah's Game 1 win

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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz host the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Tuesday night.

The top-seeded Jazz (52-20) are coming off a 4-1 win over Memphis, while the fourth-seeded Clippers (47-25) are barely two days removed from holding off Dallas in a seven-game series.

Click here for live stats after tipoff at 8 p.m. MT.

Follow live reaction and commentary below.

Tuesday, 10:58 pm

3 takeaways from the Jazz's wild 112-109 win over the Clippers

Donovan Mitchell scored 32 of his game-high 45 points in the second half to go along with five assists and six 3-pointers, and Jordan Clarkson added 18 points on six triples off the bench to help the Utah Jazz overturn a 13-point halftime deficit and pull away for a 112-109 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of a Western Conference semifinal Tuesday at Vivint Arena.Bojan Bogdanovic added 18 points and five rebounds for the Jazz, and Rudy Gobert had 10 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, including the game-sealing stuff as time expired.Kawhi Leonard had 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists to lead the Clippers, and Paul George added 20 points and 11 rebounds.Here are three takeaways from an incredible series opener that had almost everything.

Bojan for 3.. This building is LOUD 🎶

Jazz up 10 midway through 4Q#NBAPlayoffs on TNT pic.twitter.com/KpnnVfMtTG
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2021

1. This series is going to be funBetween the full-capacity crowd for the first time all season, Karl Malone sitting courtside wearing a Jordan Clarkson jersey, and Jazz Bear doing laps on the concourse on a Segway, Tuesday's series opener had everything.And that's not even mentioning what happened on the court — right down to Gobert stuffing Marcus Morris' game-tying 3-point attempt with one second left.LA led for much of the first half despite struggles from "Playoff P" Paul George and Leonard, who drew his second foul in the first quarter and had to sit early. But Luke Kennard and Co. led a furious rally, pushing the lead as high as 13 points at halftime — and adding a surprise Boogie Cousins appearance from the stage left, for good measure.If Tuesday is a forerunner for the rest of the top half of the Western Conference semifinals, buckle up. Utah and LA tipoff Thursday at 8 p.m. MT.2. Mitchell ManiaMitchell's euphoric third quarter helped the Jazz overturn a 13-point halftime deficit and force a 79-79 stalemate after three quarters. Utah made as many 3-pointers in the third quarter (six) as field goals in the first.The fourth-year pro out of Louisville scored the first 10 points of the quarter, connected on six of his first seven shots after halftime, and found O'Neale for the go-ahead bucket with 3:03 remaining to overturn a disastrous first half for the Jazz.Mitchell scored 16 points in the third, finishing with 29 points on 11-of-22 shooting with five 3-pointers, three rebounds and three assists to reset the game before the final period. He dropped his sixth 3-pointer with 9:51 left to give Utah a 3-point lead, and helped feed Clarkson on a wide-open wing to push the Jazz's lead to a second-half high 91-85 with 8:59 to go.But the most mind-blowing stat? Mitchell now has as many 40-point playoff games (4) as Karl Malone — in slightly less time.A superstar in the making.

D-Wade talking with Donovan Mitchell from the sidelines during Game 1 🤝 pic.twitter.com/VaaxX35sF7
— ESPN (@espn) June 9, 2021

3. Shooting drought in the desertAfter a solid start, Utah missed as many as 21 consecutive shots as the Clippers went on a 17-2 run in the first quarter and never looked back en route to the 60-47 halftime advantage. But LA did most of its damage with Leonard hampered by his second foul, getting 11 points from Kennard and and a positive plus-minus from 11 different players.Despite the struggles, the Jazz trailed by just 7 points after one quarter — and even the 13-point halftime deficit could've been much worse. Mitchell is making a habit of showing up the most in the second half, and his reputation as a closer is only bound to grow as the playoffs continue.

Tuesday, 10:05 pm

Donovan Mitchell spurs Jazz third-quarter rally

Welcome to the second round, Donovan Mitchell.Utah's rising superstar connected on six of his first seven shots of the third quarter, including three 3-pointers, as the Jazz overturned a 13-point halftime deficit with a 25-11 run.The Louisville product scored the first 10 points of the half to singlehandedly pull the Jazz back within five, and Jordan Clarkson's 3-pointer from the elbow cut the deficit to one, 71-70 with 4:31 on the clock.

"It's been all Spida Mitchell."

Donovan Mitchell scores the first 10 @utahjazz points of the 3rd quarter to make it a 5-point game on TNT! pic.twitter.com/EdUxDZKkLy
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2021

Mitchell collected a rebound then fed Royce O'Neale to give the Jazz their first lead of the third, 72-71 with 3:03 remaining — a run that was paced by Derrick Favors blocks on consecutive possessions on the other end. LA shot just 4-of-14 to open the third quarter.After a furious third quarter — plus the double-digit hole the Jazz dug for themselves — all was tied after three quarters, 79-79.Mitchell scored 29 points on 11-of-22 shooting to lead Utah, while Kawhie Leonard has 14 points, four rebounds and three assists to lead the Clippers.

Tuesday, 09:32 pm

Lackluster shooting has Jazz down 13 at halftime

LA opened the second quarter on a 10-5 spurt to take a 35-23 lead on Kennard's 19-foot jumper at the 9:20 mark of the period. Among the highlights — or lowlights, if you're a Jazz fan — was Boogie Cousins coming off the bench, reminding the country that he is still on an active NBA roster, and ripping the ball away from Rudy Gobert to go coast-to-coast for a score.Yeah, it was that kind of a quarter for Utah.

BOOGIE DOING IT ALL 😤 pic.twitter.com/QNuubBvBc2
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 9, 2021

Bogdanovic intercepted a misplayed inbounds pass and drained a corner three to pull the Jazz back within single digits, 51-42, with 3:36 to go in the half. But Utah struggled to get a stop on the other end as the Clippers shot 47.6% from the field to the Jazz's 32.1%.Nicolas Batum, Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard each buried multiple 3-pointers in the first half, and LA shot 11-for-23 from deep en route to a 60-47 halftime lead.Donovan Mitchell leads Utah with 13 points and two assists, and Jordan Clarkson has 9 points on 3-of-10 shooting. Only one Jazz player has a positive plus-minus — Joe Ingles, whose 8 points and six assists on 3-of-9 shooting added up to a plus-2 — while Clarkson (-13), Mitchell (-12), Derrick Favors (-12) and Royce O'Neale (-12) bottomed out the plus-minus column.

Batum makes a 3 before the 1st half buzzer 🔥

Clippers up 13. pic.twitter.com/SkHhJS7XpL
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 9, 2021

Tuesday, 08:51 pm

Clarkson heats up, but Jazz trail by 7 after one quarter

Jordan Clarkson hits back-to-back triples in the final minute to snap a run of 21 consecutive missed shots for the Jazz, who trail 25-18 at the first-quarter break.Donovan Mitchell also has 6 points to lead Utah, which is just 5-of-28 from the field and dished out just three assists in the opening frame.Luke Kennard has a 9 points on 3-of-3 shooting from deep to lead the Clippers.

2 late @JordanClarksons triples keep it close after 1Q!@LAClippers 25@utahjazz 18#NBAPlayoffs on TNT pic.twitter.com/KOqDtho2K4
— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2021

Tuesday, 08:41 pm

Jazz hot start fizzles, Clippers take control without Kawhi

The Jazz opened the game connecting on their first three 3-point attempts, including a pair from Donovan Mitchell, to jump out to a 10-2 advantage midway through the first quarter. But Marcus Morris attacked the basket and the Clippers pulled within one, 10-9, with 6:47 left in the quarter on Reggie Jackson's shot to scrape back at he first media timeout.Ivica Zubac gave LA its first lead of the game, 11-10, and Luke Kennard dropped a 3-pointer to keep the Clippers up with 4:49 on the clock. As Kawhi Leonard retreated to the bench with his second foul (after shooting just 1-for-3 early), Kennard dropped another trey and Morris' stepback jumper pushed LA's lead to a team-high seven, 19-12, with 2:52 to go.Utah missed 15 straight attempts as the Clippers took a 17-2 run since an early hot start.

Risin' up to protect the rim.

📺 @NBAonTNT | #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/921C6NXXTN
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) June 9, 2021

Tuesday, 07:41 pm

Legend in the building

Karl Malone has entered Vivint Arena. The former Jazz star and NBA legend entered the tunnel alongside the team, while sporting a Jordan Clarkson No. 00 jersey.

📫 MVP repping Sixx ☮️@TheDeliverer_32 x @jordanclarksons pic.twitter.com/eBdh5ShvhK
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 9, 2021

Tuesday, 07:30 pm

Half-hour to tipoff

Almost time for tipoff ⏰ #TakeNote x #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/s0vX1Lecu4
— KSL.com Sports (@KSLcomSports) June 9, 2021

Tuesday, 06:31 pm

Downtown businesses expect big crowds from next round of Jazz playoffs

As the Utah Jazz head into Game 1 of their second-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, downtown Salt Lake City bars and restaurants prepared for a very busy night.The Green Pig Pub just wrapped up a big weekend with the SLC Pride Festival, and suddenly, owners and staff anticipated another packed house Tuesday — this time with rabid Jazz fans."I know that we're going to be very busy tonight. If you're a sports bar and you've got a TV, you're gonna be busy," said Bridget Gordon, owner of the Green Pig.She banked on Jazz fans to turn out and make some noise."Vivint is now at full capacity, so there will be a lot of people downtown. We're going to be the loudest crowd they've ever experienced," said Gordon.Read the full story here. — Tamara Vaifanua, KSL TV