Luka Doncic and Donovan Mitchell made a splash on day one of the NBA playoffs and joined some historic company with their performances.
What We Know:
- Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz played the Denver Nuggets to kick off the first round of the playoffs and both teams treated fans to an instant classic. Denver is the 3rd seed in the West and Utah is the 6th seed. However, the bubble format and lack of home court negate some of the advantages that higher seeded NBA teams usually enjoy. Denver started off strong, holding a 59-52 lead at the end of the first half behind the strong play of Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. Utah stormed back in the second half and Denver had absolutely no answer for Donovan Mitchell, who went off for 57 points. The game came down to the wire as Mitchell and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray traded baskets down the stretch. In overtime, it was Utah who had no answer for Murray and the Nuggets. Denver outscored Utah 20-10 in OT and Murray finished with 36 points as the Nuggets went on to win 135-125.
- Despite the loss, Mitchell’s 57 point game ranks third in NBA history for most points in a playoff game. The only two players to top that mark were Elgin Baylor with 61 points and Michael Jordan with 63 points in 1986. Mitchell started off slow in the game but came alive with 38 points in the second half and overtime. His 57 points are a franchise record for the Utah Jazz, breaking Karl Malone’s previous playoff high of 50 points in 2000. Adding to the achievement, Mitchell is the youngest player since Jordan to score 50 or more points in a playoff game.
- Day 1 of the playoffs started off with a great game and ended with a great one as well. The 2nd seed Los Angeles Clippers took on the 7th seed Dallas Mavericks. This game marked Mavericks star Luka Doncic’s first-ever playoff game. The 21-year-old is no stranger to the spotlight as he dominated the EuroLeague as a teenager, becoming a EuroLeague champion and the youngest EuroLeague MVP in history. He made NBA playoff history last night by scoring 42 points, the most points in a playoff debut for any player.
- The Mavs had a horrendous start to the game, falling behind 18-2 early in the game. They turned it around though and eventually took a 69-66 lead going into halftime. Unfortunately for them, Kristaps Porzingis was ejected in the third quarter and they were without their second best player for the rest of the game. The Clippers took advantage of this and pulled away with a 118-110 win behind a combined 56 points from their star forwards Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Day 1 of the NBA playoffs did not disappoint as fans were treated to over eight straight hours of basketball. Fans can expect four games every day during the first round.
