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The Utah Jazz came away with a victory over the Dallas Mavericks in game 1, 99-93. The Mavs were without superstar Luka Doncic, but it was a close game regardless. This was a significant victory for Utah, as it gave them control of the series. Stealing at least one game on the road is huge, especially with Doncic out. It was a great fight from the Jazz, as they started off slow. They missed their first eight threes of the game but were able to overcome it.
Utah has been great in the regular season over the past few seasons but struggled to get it done in the playoffs. Having success in the postseason could be the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trade rumors to rest.
With that said, here are three key reasons why the Jazz beat the Mavs in Game 1.
Why the Jazz beat the Mavs in Game 1
3. Phenomenal defensive game
The Jazz did a great job of forcing the Mavericks to work for every shot without Doncic. They held Dallas to 38.2 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from three. Rudy Gobert was altering any shot that came into the paint while the rest of the team was playing stout defense on the perimeter.
Gobert blocked three shots and dominated the glass, with 17 rebounds, 15 of which were defensive. Winning the rebound battle was crucial, as it limited the attempts for the Mavs offense.
Dallas' offense was expected to not be as good without Doncic, but the Jazz completed dominated them defensively.
2. Bojan Bogdanovic's surprising scoring output
Bojan Bogdanovic has been a solid role player for the Jazz, but he exploded for a fantastic game. Bogdanovic finished with 26 points along with five rebounds and four assists. He was efficient from the field, shooting 11-20.
Bogdanovic took advantage of switches, posting up smaller defenders for easy baskets.
In a defensive game, a big game from Bogdanovic was instrumental in Utah coming away with the win. If he can keep up this production for the rest of the series, it will be challenging for the Mavs to contain the offense.
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1. Donovan Mitchell's 32 point performance
The Jazz were led by their young star guard Donovan Mitchell, who had a 32-point game. Mitchell has thrived in the playoffs throughout his young career, and it was no different against the Mavs.
Mitchell's scoring kept Utah in the game, as a majority of the team struggled to get it going on that side of the floor. Mitchell is difficult to defend, as he can score at all three levels and puts constant pressure on the defense.
He also makes defenses foul him, which led to him going 10-11 from the free-throw line in game one.
Mitchell is an exceptional talent, and he should continue to have similar success throughout the series.
The Jazz now have a 1-0 series lead over the Mavs, and Doncic could be out again in game two. If Utah can get a commanding 2-0 lead heading back to Utah, it will be hard for Dallas to overcome.
While they came away with the victory, head coach Quin Snyder and the Jazz have room to improve. The offense that made the second most threes per game with 14.5 in the regular season went 7-22.
Production like this won't get it done, especially if Doncic returns. Finding a way to create more open threes will be vital to the flow of the offense. If Mitchell and Mike Conley can get into the lane, it will draw help defense and get shooters open for three.
Utah's game one win was crucial, and they will take on the Mavs in game two on Monday night.
