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Rumors of a rift between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert will be silenced for at least one day after the All-Star duo lifted the Utah Jazz to a crucial 100-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the Western Conference playoffs Saturday.
Gobert slammed a lob pass from Mitchell with 11 seconds remaining to put the Jazz ahead.
The Jazz defense swarmed the Mavericks on their final possession, including double-teaming Luka Doncic, and Spencer Dinwiddie’s three-point attempt as time expired came up short to even the series at two games apiece.
Much has been made of the dynamic between Gobert and Mitchell, to the point Jazz head coach Quin Snyder went on a 19-minute press-conference rant before an April 5 game against the Memphis Grizzlies to dismiss the notion his two best players don’t play well together.
Regardless of what may or may not be happening with Gobert and Mitchell, they came through for the Jazz on Saturday in what was the biggest moment of the season for the team thus far.
Jordan Clarkson’s three-pointer with 4:59 remaining was the last time a Jazz player other than Mitchell or Gobert scored. The duo combined to score the final 10 points of the game for their team.
Mitchell had another rough shooting night in Game 4. He had his lowest-scoring game of the series with 23 points and was just 7-of-21 from the field. The 25-year-old made up for a lack of efficiency with a series-high seven assists and just one turnover.
Gobert was a force in the paint, with 10 of his 15 rebounds coming on the offensive glass. He had five offensive rebounds in the first three games combined. His 17 points in Game 4 marked his highest single-game total in the series thus far.
The Mitchell-Gobert game-winner overshadowed Doncic’s incredible return to the Mavericks’ starting lineup.
Doncic looked like he was going to be the hero of this game. The three-time All-Star appeared to put the final nail in Utah’s coffin with a three with 39.6 seconds remaining that put the Mavs up 99-95.
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LUKA DONCIC.<br>COLD BLOODED.<a href=”https://twitter.com/dallasmavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@dallasmavs</a> up 4 with 39 seconds left on TNT!<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NBAPlayoffs</a> presented by Google Pixel <a href=”https://t.co/ZPYicpXuzC”>pic.twitter.com/ZPYicpXuzC</a>
In his first game since suffering a calf strain on April 10, Doncic dropped 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. He played 34 minutes and showed no lingering effects from the injury that kept him out for two weeks.
Even though this result wasn’t what the Mavs were hoping for, they have to feel good about their chances in the rest of the series. Their best player is back in the lineup, and it took an all-out effort by the Jazz to win Game 4.
The Jazz have some momentum back on their side after dropping the previous two games in the series. Clarkson stepped up huge with 25 points off the bench in Saturday’s victory.
This looked like an evenly matched series before the postseason started. The results thus far have certainly played out that way.
Dallas will host the pivotal Game 5 on Monday at 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
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