LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Donovan Mitchell scored 18 of his 51 points in the fourth quarter and the Utah Jazz faced a 50-point night of Jamal Murray to defeat the Denver Nuggets 129-127 on Sunday and take a 3-1 lead in the playoffs series.
Mitchell was 15 of 27 from the floor and went 17 of 18 from the free throw line. The 23-year-old Mitchell scored 57 points in Game 1. He averages 39.5 points in the series.
The Jazz may close Tuesday in Game 5.
Murray, who hit a long 3-pointer near the buzzer, had the most ever by a Denver player in a postseason game, and Spencer Haywood’s mark of 45 overs in an ABA playoff game at 19 April 1970. Murray also had 11 rebounds.
Nikola Jokic added 29 points, including three dunks. Jokic is not known for his dunking despite his 7-foot frame.
Leading 109-108 with 4:02 left, the Jazz were on the fast break when Paul Millsap greeted Mitchell. Officials ruled it was a clear path error. Mitchell struck out both free throws and after taking the ball out of bounds, Mike Conley hit a jumper to extend the lead to five.
From there, the Jazz just kept going. Rudy Gobert had a great game with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Conley added 26 points in his second game since returning to the NBA bubble after going after the birth of his son.
After two blowouts by the Jazz, this game came close again. But again, the Jazz took control with a third-quarter sprint. They outscored the Nuggets 33-24 in the quarter and moved to plus-50 in the third for the series.
The Nuggets tweaked their lineup after losing games 2 and 3 by a combined 56 points. She started Monte Morris and Jerami Grant. To the bench went Michael Porter Jr. and defense specialist Torrey Craig.
It was a tight first half that included 12 lead changes and four ties. The biggest lead was eight by Denver.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Gary Harris was upgraded to “doubtful” for Game 4, but did not play due to a hip injury. Will Barton III (right knee) also remain sidelined. … Millsap had 16 points.
Jazz: Reserve Jordan Clarkson scored 24 points. … The Jazz shot 57.5% of the floor.
STEPING OUT
The Nuggets went to another part of the NBA bubble for a team dinner Saturday night. It was an opportunity for a change of landscape.
“Just fun to get out of our hotel, go somewhere else, get some different food, be in a different environment and be together. Break bread,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone explained.
COMIC RELIEF
Asked about the areas where the team needed to work against Utah, Malone said, “We are really close. I think it comes down to two things. If we can do these two things exactly, we have a chance: our offense and our defense. “
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