The Utah Jazz hosted the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinals series on Tuesday night’s NBA action and this was an extremely exciting game from start to finish. The Clippers got off to a fast start in this game, leading the Jazz by 13 points at the half, but the second-half of this game was all Utah, as they beat Los Angeles 112-109.

In the first-half, the Jazz were missing a bunch of shots due to the Clippers’ defense swarming them every opportunity they had. Los Angeles could not have opened up the game better than they did defensively, which is why they held the early lead in this game. 

READ MORE: NBA Rumors: 3 key takeaways from Game 2 between the Hawks and 76ers

However, when Utah made some small adjustments at halftime and kept sticking to their “3-and-D” mentality in the second-half, they were able to not only cut the Clippers lead down, but tie the game heading into the fourth quarter. 

Donovan Mitchell continued his great play in these playoffs, scoring 45 total points in this game on 16-30 shooting, including 6-15 from three-point range. With Mike Conley out due to a hamstring strain, Mitchell had to step up in this game and he did just that. 

In the second-half alone, Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points and was the catalyst of Utah’s offense. After being quiet in the first-half offensively, the Jazz outscored the Clippers 65-49 in the second-half, which was just enough for them to pull away and win Game 1. 

While they were coming off of a 7-game series against the Mavericks, the Los Angeles Clippers gave Utah a run for their money in this one and definitely proved to everyone that this will not be an easy series for the Jazz. There is going to be a lot of exciting basketball in this series and while they lost Game 1, the Clippers are no strangers to trailing in a series! 

The Jazz could potentially have Mike Conley back for Game 2 and things could change based on who is in and out of the rotations for both teams, but nonetheless, let’s take a look at three key takeaways from Utah’s Game 1 victory.