The Utah Jazz took a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Denver Nuggets Sunday night. They’ve made it this far without Bojan Bogdonavic, a key contributor to the Jazz starting lineup. Even without Bogdanovic’s 20.2 points per game, the Jazz have found a way to generate the offense needed to hold off the extremely talented Denver lineup.
Throughout the series, Jazz fans have seen absolutely brilliant play from 23-year old all-star Donovan Mitchell. Rudy Gobert has impacted the series on both ends of the floor as usual, lifting the Jazz with above-average play on the offensive end. The winning formula for the Jazz, however, is incomplete without strong individual performances from their supporting cast.
In Game 2, the Jazz found the additional offense they needed in 26 points provided by electric sixth-man Jordan Clarkson. Joe Ingles also chipped in with 18 points. Strong performances from the two wings, paired with a combined 49 points from Mitchell and Gobert, saw the Jazz knot the series at one game a piece.
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The Jazz were lifted by the return of Mike Conley in Game 3, as he scored 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the field. Georges Niang also provided 16 points in 16 minutes on a strong 4-of-6 performance from behind the three-point line. Double-digit performances from Conley and Niang reinforced Mitchell and Gobert’s joint 44 points, propelling the Jazz to a blowout win.
In Game 4, Utah fans saw another incredible performance by “Spida.” Mitchell scored 51, continuing his historic playoff run. Gobert impacted the game on both ends of the floor, hauling in 11 rebounds and scoring 17 points. Strong play from the All-Star duo likely wouldn’t have been enough without incredible performances from Game 2 hero Jordan Clarkson and Game 3 hero Mike Conley. Clarkson scored 24 points off the bench, and Conley chipped in with 26 of his own.
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The Jazz will continue to lean on their all-stars as they look to close out the series Tuesday night. Assuming that Mitchell and Gobert continue to play at an elite level, the Jazz will need a few more strong individual efforts from their supporting cast to beat the Nuggets and advance to the second round.
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