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It’s win or go home for the Utah Jazz

Game 7.

Denver Nuggets v Utah Jazz - Game Six Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

There’s nothing in sports like a game seven. The stress, the anxiety, the stakes, the euphoria of a win, the heartbreak of a loss. Game sevens are everything that make sports great. Tonight, the Jazz will get the rare opportunity to play in a game seven, in what will be just the fifth time in franchise history a playoff series has come down to the very last game. The Nuggets have climbed all the way back from a double digit deficit in a closeout game five, to evening the series up at three games a piece. Jazz have dropped back-to-back tough losses, and seem to have lost any momentum they gained in their three straight wins. But no matter what has happened in the last six games of this series, it all comes down to tonight. One game to rule them all.


Game Info

When: Tuesday, September 1st • 6:30 PM MT

Where: The NBA Bubble, Disney World

TV: TNT, AT&T SportsNet

Radio: 97.5 FM | 1280 AM The Zone


What to watch for

The Mitchell-Murray Grand Finale

Denver Nuggets v Utah Jazz - Game Six Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images

Donovan Mitchell vs. Jamal Murray in this series has been one of the most insane duels in basketball history. Between the two of them they have put up four 50-point games, including Murray ripping of three straight 40-pieces. What these two young guys have been doing in this series is absolutely must-watch TV, and game seven tonight is going to be epic.

It’s been amazing to watch, honestly. Both of them just cannot miss. It doesn’t seem to matter what defensive adjustments each team makes, Mitchell and Murray continue to put up some incredible numbers.

It would be awesome if we get to see another high-point duel tonight between these two. It’s unfortunate that one of them will be packing their bags tonight after this game seven, but it’s been some great entertainment watching these two go at it for seven games. You can’t help but feel like after everything that has went on in this series, it’s going to come down to who has the last shot between Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray.

Help for Donovan Mitchell

If the Jazz are going to win game seven and advance to the second round, Donovan Mitchell is going to need some help tonight. After game six, it was clear how frustrated Mitchell was, seemingly with him leaving it all out on the floor again only to catch an L.

Who is going to step up and help win a game seven for the Jazz tonight? Mike Conley has played a really great series, and he’s going to need to keep it up tonight if the Jazz don’t want to go home. Rudy Gobert’s impact hasn’t been as visible in the last few games, and the Jazz desparately need him to get back into domination mode.

Joe Ingles looks like he’s ready to get back to his family, and Royce O’Neale has become ham fried rice trying to guard Jamal Murray all series. The Jazz need more from these guys if game seven isn’t going to be another heartbreaker.

Game 7 Jordan Clarkson

The Jordan Clarkson experience takes another interesting turn tonight in game seven. What will we see out of Jordan Clarkson? In my mind, this goes one of two ways: JC comes in, takes some crazy shots and goes 2-9 in a 6 minute span, and Quin Snyder takes him out because the Jazz just got down 10. OR; JC comes in and completely catches fire, dropping 16 in the first half to get the Jazz out to a 12-point lead at halftime. There really is no in between for Jordan Clarkson, and I don’t expect that to change for a game seven. Real talk though, Clarkson is going to have a huge impact on this game for better or worse. He’s a critical piece of the Jazz’s offense, especially without Bojan Bogdanovic. If Donovan starts to run out of gas at all in this game, Jordan Clarkson needs to be there locked and loaded.

The Jazz will look to advance to the second round for the third time in four seasons tonight in game seven. It feels like this game might hold more importance than just a single playoff game, with frustration visibly boiling inside of Donovan Mitchell, already knowing everything that has went on with him and Rudy Gobert. Going out in the first round is quite a bit different than going out in the second, and tonight’s game might hold enough significance to decide the fate of some of the players on the Jazz roster. It’s time to put up or shut up. This is what NBA basketball is about baby!