Jamal Murray. Donovan Mitchell. Game 7 between the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz was sure to produce fireworks.
The Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz both looked to close out their opponent Tuesday night and advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.
Jazz sharpshooter Joe Ingles was aggressive out of the gate, scoring the first five points for Utah, but the Denver Nuggets responded with a 13-2 run and the Jazz took a timeout with 6:12 remaining trailing 15-9.
Out of the timeout, Nikola Jokic scored four points for the Nuggets, and a 19-foot pull-up jumper by Monte Morris pushed Denver’s lead to eight (21-13), forcing Utah to take another timeout with 2:48 remaining. Utah finished the first quarter on a 5-0 run, and trailed by five (26-21) heading into the second.
Denver started the second quarter on an 11-2 run (which included a Gary Harris trey-ball), pushing their lead to 14 (37-23), and Utah took another timeout with 8:24 to play in the period.
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The Nuggets took a 17-point lead (44-27) following an 8-0 run by Michael Porter Jr., and a Jokic dunk pushed Denver’s lead to 19 with 4:28 remaining.
Late in the second quarter though, Nuggets’ fans were panic-stricken as Jamal Murray took a hard foul from Ingles. Luckily, Murray walked it off and converted two free- throws, giving Denver a 50-31 lead with 1:17 to play.
A 5-0 run by Donovan Mitchell cut the Nuggets’ lead to 14 to end the half, and Denver led 50-36 heading into the break.
Making plays on both ends! https://t.co/VT96iwzRf4
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) September 2, 2020
Denver had three players score in double-figures through the first two quarters, and Jokic led all scorers with 13 points. Porter totaled 10 points and 8 rebounds off the bench, and the Nuggets did a great job containing Mitchell in the first half, limiting him to just 7 points on 3-7 shooting and forcing five turnovers.
After Denver started the third quarter on a 5-0 run, Mitchell responded with a 9-0 run himself, cutting their lead to 10 (55-45), and the Nuggets took a timeout with 7:40 remaining.
The Jazz continued to claw their way back into the game throughout the third, and with 3:21 remaining, Mitchell hit an 11-foot runner off the glass, cutting Denver’s lead to five (60-55).
Utah finished the quarter on a 5-0 run, but the Nuggets maintained their five-point lead (65-60) heading into the fourth.
Denver remained scoreless through the first 4:32 of the fourth quarter, allowing the Jazz to take their first lead since the first quarter (66-65). But two Jokic layups tied the game at 70 with 5:23 remaining, and Utah took their first timeout of the quarter.
Following a Mitchell layup with 2:44 remaining, Murray converted back-to back buckets for the Nuggets, giving Denver a four-point lead (78-74). Utah responded with a 4-0 run of their own, tying the game at 78.
With 27.8 seconds remaining in the game, Jokic converted a tough hook shot over Rudy Gobert which gave Denver a two-point lead (80-78).
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On the ensuing possession, Mitchell drove to the basket and Harris’ quick hands forced a Utah turnover. Denver got out on the fast break, and Torrey Craig botched a layup attempt.
With just 4.4 seconds remaining, Gobert inbounded the ball to Mike Conley, who drove the length of the floor and threw up a prayer as time expired—it was just barely off the mark. The Nuggets escaped with an 80-78 victory and completed the 3-1 series comeback.
Denver became just the 12th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 playoff deficit, cementing themselves in the NBA’s history books.
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The Nuggets got a spirited performance from Jokic, as he finished the game with 30 points and 14 rebounds on 12-23 shooting. Murray had a down game relative to his series’ averages, but still finished with 17 points and four assists.
Mitchell also played poorly relative to the rest of his performances in the series, as he finished with just 22 points on 9-22 shooting.
Denver will look to carry the momentum from one of the most entertaining first-round playoff series in years heading into the Western Conference Semifinals. There, Denver will face Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers with Game 1, which set for Thursday, Sept. 3 at 9 p.m. EST.