Nuggets spoil Mitchell’s 57-point explosion in OT win over Jazz

LOS ANGELES – Jamal Murray scored 36 points, including 10 in overtime, as the Denver Nuggets overcame a 57-point performance from Donovan Mitchell to defeat the Utah Jazz, 135-125, in a playoff game on Monday (Tuesday, Manila time).

Nikola Jokic finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds for Denver, who were taken to overtime by the Jazz for the second-straight contest.

"I'm smiling because those are the games you want to be in," Murray said. "Those are the games that are the most fun and most competitive."

Jokic had a chance to ice the victory in regulation, but his hook shot at the buzzer over Utah's Rudy Gobert failed to drop.

Murray seized command in overtime, clinching the outcome with a three-point dagger with 46 seconds on the clock to give the Nuggets a 1-0 lead in their first round NBA playoff series.

Mitchell has a habit of saving his best for the Nuggets, but it wasn't enough as he was 13-of-13 from the free throw line in scoring a franchise playoff record 57 points. 

The previous franchise record for most points in a playoff game was 50 by Karl Malone in 2000. It was also the third-highest scoring game in NBA playoff history.

The teams met four times in the regular season. The last time was August 8, when Mitchell had another huge game, but the Jazz lost that one as well in double overtime. The Nuggets have now won all five games against the Jazz this season.

This is the fifth time the teams have met in the playoffs, and the Jazz have won three of those previous playoff series, most recently a 4-2 win in the first round of the 2010 playoffs.

Utah, which tied for second in the Northwest Division behind Denver, is making its fourth straight playoff appearance. 

The Jazz were eliminated in the first round by Houston in 2019, but reached the Western Conference semifinals the previous two playoffs.

Also, Fred VanVleet scored 30 points as the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors defeated the Brooklyn Nets 134-110 in the opening game of their first-round series.