3 Takeaways From Jazz-Nuggets
We already have our first major comeback of the playoffs.
After trailing 3-1 in the series, the Denver Nuggets won for the third consecutive time against the Utah Jazz, advancing to the Western Conference semifinals, where they will face the Los Angeles Clippers.
Here are the key takeaways from Game 7 of this Western Conference first round matchup:
1. Offense turned to defense
If there was one thing this series had been known for through six games, it was offensive fireworks.
In four of the first six games, Utah scored at least 124 points, and Denver scored at least 117 In four of the first six.
However, Game 7 was a defensive slugfest.
For the series, the Nuggets were averaging 115.0 points while shooting 48.1% from the field and 44.3% from three-point range, while the Jazz averaged 119.0 points and shot 50.4% from the field and 44.9% from three-point range.
But in Game 7, neither team shot 40% from the field and only combined to make 16 three-pointers.
For context, the two squads made a combined 38 threes in Game 1, 33 in Game 2, 30 in Game 3, 31 in Game 4, 32 in Game 5 and 36 in Game 6.
2. The big men steal the show
All eyes were on Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell coming into Game 7, and for good reason.
Murray was averaging 47.6 points in the past three games, while Mitchell averaged 38.6 points over the course of the series.
Both players had two 50-point games under their belts and one 40-point outing. But on Tuesday, Murray only scored 17, while Mitchell dropped in 22, pedestrian for his standards in the series.
Enter the two All-Star centers Nikola Jokic and Rudy Gobert.
Jokic scored 30 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, and scored what would be the game-winning basket.
Gobert put up 19 points and 18 rebounds for the Jazz, and his rim protection for a majority of the night was game-changing.
For the series, Jokic averaged 26.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists, while Gobert averaged 16.9 points and 11.4 rebounds.
3. The classic 3-1 comeback
Throughout NBA history, only 12 teams have ever dug themselves out of a 3-1 series deficit to win a series.
It's a small number considering there has been 73 NBA postseasons, but over the last five postseasons, it's happened on three different occasions.
The Nuggets join the 2016 Golden State Warriors – who came back against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals – and the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers – who came back to beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals – as the three latest teams to accomplish the feat.
Denver's prize for rallying to beat the Jazz? The second-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in the next round, beginning Thursday.
BONUS TAKEAWAY
How about that last sequence?
Drama!
A few key observations:
1. Gary Harris was great defensively in the final frame, guarding Mitchell for a majority of the quarter and tapping the ball away from him in the final seconds. Mitchell was 1-for-4 from the field in the last 12 minutes and only scored 2 points in the quarter. Much of it was due to Harris simply denying Mitchell the ball over and over.
2. Few in the Twitter sports world understood why Murray pushed the ball so aggressively after Harris created the turnover, seeing as how Denver was up 2 with time running out. Even though it looked to be a layup that Torrey Craig should have converted off the Murray pass, essentially icing the game, Craig missed it, creating an opportunity for the Jazz to push the ball and get a great shot for Mike Conley.
3. Conley's look wasn't necessarily in rhythm, but could Utah have asked for a better shot at winning the game? Unfortunately, Conley went cold from three in Game 7. After connecting on 17 of 28 three-point attempts in Games 3-6, he was just 1-for-6 from three on Tuesday.