On April 22, Beijing time, the NBA's playoff lineup continued in full swing. The Dallas Mavericks, who recovered a city in the previous G2 showdown, also ushered in a G3 showdown with the Jazz. There is no doubt that the absence of the star Doncic has affected the offensive end of the Lone Rangers. But we have to admit that injuries are also part of the game, only lucky and unlucky. However, despite being unable to play alongside his teammates on the field due to injury, Doncic insisted on cheering his teammates on the sidelines.
In this game, head coach Kidra came to Utah City with the team and challenged the Jazz on the road. Doncic is still not allowed to play, but the Lone Rangers have taken advantage of the Jazz's home court. At the beginning of the game, the Jazz, who were playing at home, encountered the monopoly of the Lone Rangers. Brunson, the temporary commander of the stadium, quickly entered the state, handing over 8 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist in the first quarter, and Kléber, who came off the bench, actually sent a key 9 points with a 100% shooting rate of 3 shots, helping the team to play a 27-20 score and get a 7-point lead.
After taking the lead in the opening game, the Lone Rangers, who entered the second quarter of the showdown, were able to follow the trend and continue to widen the point difference between the two teams. Mitchell, who sent 1 of 5 shots in the first quarter, was still dumbfounded, shooting 0 of 2 in a single quarter, and Conley sent 12 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist to no avail. The Timberwolves' starter fired more points, and Bertans on the bench played the role of a scoring wizard, delivering 12 points and 2 rebounds, and helping the team play a 41-31 score. At the end of the first half, the Lone Rangers were already ahead of the Jazz by a crucial 17 points.
The Jazz, who were in a state of backwardness, began to fight back. In the third quarter, Mitchell and Bojan returned to form. Among them, Mitchell sent 18 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists in the full 12 minutes of the game, and Bojan also had 12 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, helping the team to play a 40-29 score and recover the 11 points behind in the first half. By the time it reached the crucial final showdown, the point difference between the two sides had narrowed to 6 points.
But in the fourth quarter of the tiebreaker, the Lone Rangers did not give the Jazz the opportunity to continue to chase points, and they did not let go of the leading score. In the end, the fourth quarter of regular time was over, and the Lone Rangers once again played a 29-27 score, and with a score of 126-118, they won the game and rejected the Jazz's reversal! Mitchell only handed over 4 points in the first half and a crucial 28 points in the second half, obviously completing his self-awakening, but not being able to lead the team to the final victory, which is really regrettable.
However, we have to admit that the overall state of the players on the Lone Rangers side is very good. Brunson once again played the style of the team leader, sent 31 points and 5 assists, and effectively connected the team's overall offense in the process of alleviating the team's scoring pressure. And Dinwiddie also showed a big heart, sending a key 10 points and 2 steals in the last quarter, and a performance of 20 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, proving his worth. After winning the game, the Lone Rangers also managed to lead the Jazz 2-1 in the series.