By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Dallas Mavericks came into the playoffs without their star player Luka Doncic but managed to put on a big fight against the Utah Jazz who eventually came out on top with 99-93 in Game 1.
Donovan Mitchell led the scorers with 32 points while Bojan Bogdanovic scored 26 with 20 coming in the first half when Utah was showing signs of struggling.
Bogdanovic was also crucial in pushing the Jazz offense with a fast tempo in the transition while involving Mitchell on a few occasions who afterward took over the lead.
Rudy Gobert scored five points but was big on the boards as always. He grabbed 17 rebounds while also handing out three blocks.
For the Mavs, Jalen Brunson stepped up with 24 points including a couple of impressive moves from mid-range. Spencer Dinwiddie followed with 22 while Reggie Bullock scored 15 points.
After a close first half (45-43), Utah pulled away and led in double-digits multiple times, including the 11-point margin in the fourth quarter (86-75).
The Mavericks team put on an 11-2 run to recover and push the game down to the wire but it wasn’t enough to complete the upset.
O’Neale banked in a crucial three-pointer for Utah with a bit under a minute to play while Mitchell closed out the game from the free-throw line.