Last night, the Utah Jazz came from behind to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. This was spurred by a tremendous performance by their young star, Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell put up 45 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds.
Donovan Mitchell was drafted with the 13th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, but was traded on draft night to the Utah Jazz. Since joining the Jazz organization, he has become a staple. He has consistently averaged 20 points, with this season being his career best.
After a quiet first and second quarter, Donovan Mitchell heated up in the third quarter and never looked back after that, shooting deep threes and clutch shots at the rim, getting a crucial Game 1 win at home for his team.
The Clippers, in contrast looked dead on arrival, especially during the 3rd quarter of the game. Clippers players, even their faces in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, missed clear shots that would have helped the Clippers take victory in the game.
They should have played how Donovan Mitchell played coming out of halftime. Mitchell's play showed just how much the Utah Jazz wanted the win more than the LA Clippers in this Game 1.
This is still, of course, a very wide open series. The Los Angeles Clippers stil very much have a chance to take control of this series and advance to their first Conference Finals. However, if Game 1 is any indication, Donovan Mitchell and the rest of the Jazz roster will play with all of their heart.
