By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Mike Conley returned to action and had a career-best 7/8 threes in the playoffs for 27 points. French center Rudy Gobert dominated the paint with 24 points and 14 rebounds. while Donovan Mitchell added 20 points as the Utah Jazz strolled over the Denver Nuggets.
What was, in theory, a balanced matchup, ended up being a one-sided affair in Jazz’s 124-87 win which gave them a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference’s first round of the playoffs.
The final 37-point margin is the third biggest playoff win in Jazz history and also tied for the third-biggest playoff loss in Nuggets history.
As Denver coach Michael Malone said after the game about what was missing from his team: “Defense is a great place to start…if you dig deeper into that I think we give in too easy. I think our group has to be more mentally tough.”
Serb big man Nikola Jokic finished the game with 15 points, six assists, and five rebounds but he was essentially a nonfactor like the rest of his teammates.
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