Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray joined esteemed company in this first round series. They joined Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson as players who have scored 50 points or more multiple times in a single series.

Perhaps there was too much hype built into the duel, but the first half certainly wasn’t all about the electric guards.

Mitchell didn’t even finish in double digits in the first half with seven points. Murray finished with 10, giving the two a total of 17.

The two starters were outscored by bench players Jordan Clarkson and Michael Porter Jr., who combined for 20 in the first half.

The Nuggets were definitely the better team early on, as evidence by their 50-36 lead at the break. They were buoyed by Nikola Jokic’s brilliance, as he reminded everyone that he’s been the Nuggets’ lynchpin for the last few years. He had 13 points, seven rebounds, and three assists by halftime.

The Jazz needed to recover big, as they only managed 15 points in the second quarter. A big part of this was their three point shooting, as they went 5 of 19 (27.8%) in the first half. They also shot 3 of 7 (42.9%) from the line.

Mitchell started off the second half hot. He scored nine straight points for the Jazz to bring the game back to within ten at 55-45. He did it with an array of difficult shots, and by the end of the third quarter his 13 points in the period had helped cut the lead to 65-60.

This felt more like an old-school grind than a modern NBA game, and with 8:39 left in the game the score was 66-65 in favor of the Jazz. Rudy Gobert stepped it up in the fourth quarter on both ends of the floor.

All eyes were on Murray to see how he would respond, and Mitchell took it upon himself to play hard defense on his friend and rival. He started picking him up beyond the half court line, refusing to give him much space.

Murray didn’t look to be 100%, and it was evident by his production. He didn’t give up on defense, though, as he also hounded Mitchell all over the court.

Gobert tied the game with at 78-78 with 47 seconds left in the game, and Jokic followed up with a hook shot to make it 80-78 for the Nuggets.

A crazy sequence saw the Jazz get the final shot of the game. Mitchell first lost the ball, but the Nuggets then turned it over with four seconds left. Unfortunately, Mike Conley wasn’t able to convert the last-second three to win the game.

Both teams deserve credit for how hard they played this series. The final game may not have been the high-scoring duel between Mitchell and Murray that many of us envisioned, but each side showed that they were willing to do what it takes to win.

Unfortunately, only one team gets to advance, and the Nuggets will go on to face the Los Angeles Clippers thanks to the tight 80-78 victory.