Jazz Game 1 blog: Mitchell, Jazz turn back Doncic-less Mavs in series opener

By Ryan Miller and Sean Walker, KSL | Updated - April 16, 2022 at 1:52 p.m. | Posted - April 16, 2022 at 10:45 a.m.

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

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Saturday, 01:46 pm

Mitchell erupts in second half to lead Jazz to Game 1 win

Donovan Mitchell had just 2 points in the first half of Saturday's playoff opener in Dallas.By the end of the game, he showed he's more than just a scorer — and he can do that just fine, too.Mitchell finished with a team-high 32 points, six rebounds and six assists to help the Jazz steal a road win from the Luka Doncic-less Mavericks 99-93 in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round series at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.Bojan Bogdanovic added 26 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Jazz (50-33), who got 13 points, six rebounds and three assists from Mike Conley Jr. Jordan Clarkson added 10 points off the bench for Utah, and Rudy Gobert supplied 17 rebounds and three blocks, effecting the game while only attempting one shot and making 5-of-6 free throws. Jalen Brunson led Dallas with 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Spencer Dinwiddie added 22 points and eight assists, and Reggie Bullock had 15 points and six rebounds for the Mavs.

🏀 Jalen Brunson has playoff career-high 24 points #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel on ESPN pic.twitter.com/Ygb9cE9oS2
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2022

Utah never trailed in the second half and led by as much as 12 down the stretch. But Brunson got cooking, and Bullock capped an 11-2 run that pulled Dallas within two, 88-86, as the Mavericks took advantage of 14 Jazz turnovers.That's when Quin Snyder called timeout, Conley hit a driving floater from Mitchell, and the former Louisville star forced a turnover a minute later to keep Utah in front heading into the final minute. Royce O'Neale banged in a 25-footer to push the lead to 95-91 with 57.3 seconds left — the first bucket of the game from Buckets as he shushed the crowd after taking the swing pass from, you guessed it, Mitchell himself.Game 2 is Monday in Dallas.

Royce O'Neale knocks down the clutch bucket to extend the @utahjazz lead late in Game 1!#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel on ESPN pic.twitter.com/fizO4eY4rb
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2022

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Saturday, 01:46 pm

JAZZ WIN

JAZZ WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/Df8PD76joS
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 16, 2022

Saturday, 01:17 pm

🕷 🚀

Donovan Mitchell takes off in #PhantomCam

Game 1
Jazz 75 | Mavs 68
9:33 remaining in Q4#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel on ESPN pic.twitter.com/ucBiBuYdtP
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2022

Saturday, 01:11 pm

Donovan Mitchell comes alive in 3rd

Donovan Mitchell: still good.After being held to just 2 points in the first half, Utah's All-Star guard dropped 19 points in the third quarter to help push the Jazz to a 73-65 lead.Mitchell was super aggressive getting to the hoop, using crafty drives to put pressure on the rim throughout the quarter. He played the entire 12 minutes and shot 7 of 13 from the field and 1 of 3 from deep.That helped Utah push its lead to double-digits (uh-oh?) near the end of the third quarter.The Jazz held the Mavericks to 35% shooting in the quarter and just 1 for 7 from 3-point range. As expected, Rudy Gobert had a lot to do with that.Utah's rotation shrunk in the second half. Quin Snyder chose to go with just eight players in the third quarter: Mitchell, Gobert, Mike Conley, Royce O'Neale, Hassan Whiteside, Jordan Clarkson and Danuel House Jr.House scored the last 5 points of the quarter for Utah.

Saturday, 12:25 pm

Halftime in Dallas is what you'd expect

Yep, we're in Dallas pic.twitter.com/W8X4aRNf7s

— Ryan Miller (@millerjryan) April 16, 2022

Saturday, 12:16 pm

Free Bogey: Jazz cling to 2-point lead at the half

Even without one of the top players in the league, Dallas is going to be a tough out.The Mavs threatened to open up a double-digit lead when Spencer Dinwiddie found Maxi Kleber for a 25-footer two minutes into the second quarter. But Jordan Clarkson slid to the basket for a layup over two defenders to pull the Jazz within two, 32-30, with 6:43 on the clock.Donovan Mitchell spun to the rim to open his scoring account with 5:19 left in the half. But the Jazz star finished the half shooting just 1 of 9 with three assists, one rebound and a block.

you saw how he walked in.
that's how he's playing. pic.twitter.com/o6LLXkuBBp
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 16, 2022

Utah shot 0 for 9 from 3-point range before Bogdanovic drained one from the corner with 3:10 left in the half. The Jazz ranked No. 11 in the NBA in 3-point field-goal percentage during the regular season — eight spots better than the Mavericks — so those shots should eventually fall, right?Or maybe not. The Mavs ranked seventh in the league in opponents' field-goal percentage from 25-29 feet, allowing just 32.5% during the season. So this may be closer to the norm for this series.Still, Bogdanovic has been great for the Jazz, shooting 8-of-11 from the field for a game-high 20 points, three rebounds and two assists. Clarkson is the only other Utah player in double figures with 10 points, while Rudy Gobert has 10 rebounds.Utah trailed for most of the half until Bogdanovic hit a pair of free throws with 31 seconds remaining and added a wide-open triple in the closing seconds to take a 45-43 edge into the break.Jalen Brunson leads Dallas with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists, and Dinwiddie has 10 points and three assists for the Mavs.

Bojan beats the the clock from deep 🎯

He finishes the first half with 20 points on 8/11 FGM

The @utahjazz lead by 2 in GM 1 on ESPN pic.twitter.com/EUsu5K6nDW
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2022

Saturday, 12:03 pm

Bogey Time ⌚️

Bojan Bogdanovic leads all scorers in game 1 with 15 points on 7/10 FGM #PhantomCam

GM 1 JAZZ vs. MAVS
UTA 39 | DAL 41
1:30 remaining in Q2 LIVE NOW on ESPN pic.twitter.com/C4YJXUmRJS
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2022

Saturday, 11:54 am

🔒 ⬇️

Rudy Gobert has the paint on lock for the @utahjazz 🔒

JAZZ vs MAVS GM 1
Q2 action Live Now on ESPN pic.twitter.com/lV47Yp8xkb
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2022

Saturday, 11:46 am

Iso-heavy Jazz down after 1st quarter

Before Game 1, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said former Utah assistant coach Igor Kokoskov brought Utah's "blender" terminology and scheme to Dallas. He might have had a few suggestions on how to stop it, too.Donovan Mitchell went 0 for 4 for 0 points in the first quarter, and he was far from the only Jazz player to struggle as Dallas jumped out to a 23-20 lead.The Jazz only attempted five 3s in the opening 12 minutes (all of which missed). Dallas suffocated Utah on the perimeter and forced the Jazz to attack apparent mismatches on drives.Outside of Bojan Bogdanovic, who was Utah's best player in the first quarter with 8 points, and a couple floaters from Mike Conley, Utah struggled.Mitchell couldn't finish at the rim, and neither could Rudy Gobert.Gobert's official stat line was 0 for 2 in the first quarter, but he had four opportunities around the basket that he didn't finish.

Saturday, 10:51 am

Jazz's new hype video ahead of Game 1

Playoff mode: 𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑽𝑨𝑻𝑬𝑫 🔥#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/EcHARYoBUg

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 16, 2022

Saturday, 10:47 am

Luka Doncic is officially out

Dallas coach Jason Kidd finally made it official: Luka Doncic will not play in Game 1. Kidd said the Dallas superstar is considered day-to-day going forward with a left calf strain, and his status for Monday's Game 2 is still unknown. Jazz coach Quin Sndyer said that the news was far from unexpected, and the week leading up to Game 1 has given the Utah time to prepare for the Doncic-less Mavs. "He's arguably one of the top three players and that may not be arguable," Snyder said. "His usage and the way they play with with him in the game. He's just a unique player. Sometimes when a player like that is out, you see other guys that are really, really good players have opportunities to step into situations and it's usually more collective. I don't think anybody's gonna be Luka, but different guys can fill that role and be really, really effective to the point where collectively their team can find a level."

Jazz Game 1 blog: Mitchell, Jazz turn back Doncic-less Mavs in series opener

By Ryan Miller and Sean Walker, KSL | Updated - April 16, 2022 at 1:52 p.m. | Posted - April 16, 2022 at 10:45 a.m.

Dallas Mavericks forward Reggie Bullock (25) defends as Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) works to the basket in the first half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Saturday, April 16, 2022, in Dallas. (Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press)

Mitchell erupts in second half to lead Jazz to Game 1 win

JAZZ WIN

🕷 🚀

Donovan Mitchell comes alive in 3rd

Halftime in Dallas is what you'd expect

Free Bogey: Jazz cling to 2-point lead at the half

Bogey Time ⌚️

🔒 ⬇️

Iso-heavy Jazz down after 1st quarter

Jazz's new hype video ahead of Game 1

Luka Doncic is officially out

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Jazz Game 1 blog: Mitchell, Jazz turn back Doncic-less Mavs in series opener

By Ryan Miller and Sean Walker, KSL | Updated - April 16, 2022 at 1:52 p.m. | Posted - April 16, 2022 at 10:45 a.m.

Dallas Mavericks forward Reggie Bullock (25) defends as Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) works to the basket in the first half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Saturday, April 16, 2022, in Dallas. (Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press)

Mitchell erupts in second half to lead Jazz to Game 1 win

JAZZ WIN

🕷 🚀

Donovan Mitchell comes alive in 3rd

Halftime in Dallas is what you'd expect

Free Bogey: Jazz cling to 2-point lead at the half

Bogey Time ⌚️

🔒 ⬇️

Iso-heavy Jazz down after 1st quarter

Jazz's new hype video ahead of Game 1

Luka Doncic is officially out

Most recent Utah Jazz stories

George scores 37 as Jazz top Mavericks in OT despite Flagg's career-high 42

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Thunder improve to 23-1 with 15th straight victory, routing Jazz 131-101

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