Jazz take 3-1 lead over Nuggets in thrilling Donovan Mitchell-Jamal Murray duel

The Nuggets came up on the wrong end against the Jazz in Game 4 despite a thrilling duel between Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray.

After getting shellacked in Game 3, and with the Denver Nuggets facing the possibility of falling into a 3-1 hole against the Utah Jazz, Sunday’s Game 4 felt like something of a must-win for the 3-seed in the Western Conference.

Unfortunately, the Nuggets were on the wrong side of dueling 50-point games between Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray, dropping Denver to the cusp of elimination in this first-round NBA playoff series.

While Nikola Jokic bounced back with 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists, the Jazz got just a little more help from their supporting cast, with Mike Conley chipping in 26 points on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting and Jordan Clarkson going ballistic off the bench yet again with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting.

The Nuggets defense remains miserable with Gary Harris and Will Barton sidelined, and now they have their backs against the wall against Mitchell and company.

What else did you miss in Game 4 between the Nuggets and Jazz?

Coaching move: Michael Porter Jr. and Torrey Craig to the bench

After the Nuggets were totally waxed in Game 3, head coach Michael Malone made an adjustment to his starting lineup for Game 4, moving Torrey Craig (Denver’s primary defensive assignment for Mitchell) and Michael Porter Jr. (a gaping defensive liability) to the bench in favor of Monte Morris and Jerami Grant.

The move didn’t ultimately pay off with a win, but the Nuggets looked much more competitive than they did in Game 3. Porter’s defense was less of a liability, as was Craig’s offense. Morris didn’t do much (seven points on 3-of-10 shooting), but Grant played well enough, finishing with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Craig and Porter, unfortunately, struggled off the bench, tallying a combined 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including 1-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, and having Grant’s defense in the starting lineup did little to dissuade Mitchell from another 50-point performance.

MPJ looks like a future cornerstone in Denver, and should probably play more than 23 minutes, but he’s got to improve on the defensive end to keep Malone’s trust. Now Malone faces the question of what to do next, because if Gary Harris isn’t available for Game 5, he’s running out of players he can trust.

Key matchup: Jamal Murray vs. Donovan Mitchell in the battle of high-volume scoring

Though both are known as high-volume shooters, Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray have been terrific in this first-round series. Nothing changed in Game 4, with neither defense proving itself capable of stopping the other team’s microwave scoring guard.

Murray and Mitchell may not have been matched up against each other specifically, but Game 4 was undoubtedly another battle between those two diametrically opposed forces. Mitchell finished with 51 points and seven assists on 15-of-27 shooting, including 17-for-18 from the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, Murray led Denver with 50 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists on 9-of-15 shooting from 3-point range. He ignited for 21 fourth-quarter points to help the Nuggets rally, but it wasn’t quite enough in the end. Sunday’s Game 4 marked the first time in NBA playoff history that two opponents scored 50 in the same game.

With so many players missing for both teams, this series was always going to come down to the battle between these two guards, as well as the one between their two centers. Murray’s fourth-quarter scoring barrage proved to be the difference in getting Denver back into the game.

Turning point: Clear path foul

Trailing by eight points entering the fourth quarter, the Nuggets worked their way back into the game thanks to Jamal Murray’s shooting barrage in the final frame. Unfortunately, Paul Millsap’s clear path foul on a Donovan Mitchell breakaway late in game took the wind out of Denver’s sails.

The Nuggets had cut the lead to one point with four minutes to play, but a turnover fell into Mitchell’s hands and the break was on for Utah. It looked like it was bound to be a sure bucket, so Millsap grabbed the Jazz guard to stop the play.

Unfortunately, it was deemed a clear path foul, resulting in two free throws. The Jazz then scored on a Mike Conley bucket on the ensuing play, which meant that one turnover led to an immediate four-point swing, turning a one-point deficit into a five-point disadvantage.

Murray and the Nuggets hit some big shots to remain within striking distance, but try as they might, they just couldn’t close the gap. That unfortunate clear path ruling may have been the tipping point that helped Utah hold off their furious rally at the end.