Donovan Mitchell scored 45 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 112-109 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series with Rudy Gobert making a game-sealing block.<\/p>\n
With seconds remaining Gobert successfully blocked Marcus Morris' 3-point attempt to give the Jazz the win.<\/p>\n
However Aussie Joe Ingles was the unsung hero of the pivotal moment, and though it was missed on the broadcast, it did not go unnoticed on social media.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/twitter.com\/JADubin5\/status\/1402489517047750660<\/a>https:\/\/twitter.com\/Sam_Vecenie\/status\/1402490215424434176<\/a>https:\/\/twitter.com\/stevejones20\/status\/1402490653351677955<\/a><\/p>\n Mitchell did most of his work in the second half, scoring 32 points to rally the Jazz from a double-digit deficit. Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic chipped in 18 points apiece. Mitchell and Clarkson combined for 12 3-pointers.<\/p>\n Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points to lead Los Angeles. Paul George chipped in 20 points and 11 rebounds. Luke Kennard added 18 points while making a team-high four 3-pointers.<\/p>\n Utah and Los Angeles will play Game 2 on Thursday in Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n The Jazz trailed by as many as 14 points before rallying and overtaking the Clippers in the fourth quarter. Utah took the lead for good on a 21-9 run bookended by 3-pointers from Bogdanovic. His second one gave the Jazz a 103-93 lead with 5:22 remaining.<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/utahjazz\/status\/1402502819685580800<\/a><\/p>\n George hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 112-109 in the final minute. But Rudy Gobert blocked a potential game-tying shot from Marcus Morris with a second left to preserve the victory.<\/p>\n The Jazz were ice cold on offense during the first quarter. Utah jumped out to a 10-2 lead after Mitchell made a pair of 3-pointers. Over the next 8 1\/2 minutes, the Jazz missed 20 consecutive shots. 15 of the 20 shots were contested by the Clippers. Utah started 3-of-25 from the field before Clarkson buried a corner three to break the ice.<\/p>\n Los Angeles capitalised on the lengthy drought with a 22-2 run. Kennard buried three 3-pointers to put the Clippers in front 24-12 late in the quarter.<\/p>\n Hot outside shooting buoyed Los Angeles in the second quarter and kept Utah at arm's length.<\/p>\n The Clippers went 7-of-12 from 3-point range during the quarter. Four of those baskets came during a stretch where they scored on six straight possessions, culminating in Rajon Rondo's outside basket, to extend their lead to 51-37.<\/p>\n Mitchell took over early in the third quarter. He scored four straight baskets to open the quarter and totaled 16 points in nine minutes. His effort helped the Jazz regain a 72-71 lead at the end of a 13-4 run. Mitchell scored back-to-back baskets to fuel the run and assisted the go-ahead layup from Royce O'Neale.<\/p>\n For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/strong><\/em> clicking here!<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"