The Utah Jazz pulled out a slim 112-109 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Tuesday. While Kawhi Leonard and Paul George had relatively quiet nights, there was one clear superstar in this game: Donovan Mitchell.

The Jazz guard proved to be a serious problem for the Clippers, scoring at will from all over to floor as he dropped 45 points. While LA did a good job containing Rudy Gobert, which was seen as a worry prior to the series opener, they must figure out how to slow down Mitchell. It's a massive key to coming out on top in this second-round matchup.

His quickness and athleticism proved to be far too much for the Clippers. They tried switching numerous defenders on him, with Nicolas Batum being the main figure who was guarding Mitchell, but he was literally no match for the Jazz All-Star. Utah was tremendous in using the pick-and-roll with Mitchell, which allowed him to find more lanes to the bucket or step back and hit a 3.

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But it's pretty clear here. Kawhi Leonard needs to be defending the Jazz's best player. It's the only way the Clippers will be able to limit Mitchell. The Klaw switched onto him at times during Game 1 but to no avail. However, Leonard is one of the best two-way players in the league who is absolutely capable of keeping up with Mitchell on the defensive end if he's put to the task for the full 48 minutes. He's strong and agile enough to either make him pass the ball or push him out to the perimeter and take a tough 3.

Mitchell went 6-for-15 from downtown on Tuesday. He loves to shoot, but at this point, the Clippers should be forcing him outside to take low-percentage looks. The former Louisville standout was having far too much freedom inside and that needs to change. If he beats you by draining deep triples with a hand in his face, then so be it. But allowing Donovan Mitchell to get to the hoop and finish as a 6-foot-1 guard at the frequency of Game 1 is unacceptable.

Kawhi Leonard is the Clippers' only hope in this regard.