May 29, 2021; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) drives to the basket as Utah Jazz center Derrick Favors (15) defends during the second quarter during game three in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Donovan Mitchell completed a three-point play with 4:04 remaining and the top-seeded Utah Jazz survived a late challenge from the host Memphis Grizzlies for a 121-111 win in Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Saturday night.
Mitchell saved 10 of his game-high 29 points for the final four minutes, during which the Jazz outscored the Grizzlies 14-2 to go up 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Game 4 is scheduled for Monday night, also at Memphis.
Down by 11 to start the fourth period, Memphis used a 13-2 burst to draw even for the first time all night at 98-all.
The teams then battled to six ties in the quarter until, after Ja Morant gave Memphis its final lead at 109-107 with 4:27 to play, Mitchell flipped in a driving hoop on which he was fouled by Jonas Valanciunas. The subsequent free throw gave Utah a lead it never relinquished.
Mitchell made it a four-point game with a 3-pointer, Rudy Gobert added a layup and Mitchell hit four straight free throws as Utah pulled away to another double-figure lead and coasted home.
Mike Conley scored 27 to go with a team-high eight assists for Utah. Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic added 15 points apiece, as did Gobert to complete a double-double with a game-high 14 rebounds.
Morant finished with a team-high 28 points to go with a team-high seven assists, while Dillon Brooks chipped in 27 points for Memphis, which was outscored 57-39 on 3-pointers.
Grayson Allen came off the bench with five 3-pointers to account for almost all of his 17 points, while both Kyle Anderson (11 points, 13 rebounds) and Valanciunas (10 points, 13 rebounds) rebounded double-doubles for Memphis.
Riding the momentum of a 141-point explosion in a 12-point win at home in Game 2, Utah wasted no time taking charge in its first road game of the postseason.
Early 3-pointers by Conley (two) and Royce O’Neal (one) helped vault the Jazz into a quick 13-5 lead. And when Georges Niang bombed in Utah’s seventh 3-pointer, the visitors had built a 34-19 advantage in the final minute of the quarter.
But Memphis chipped away, eventually drawing even with 7:58 remaining when Allen buried a 3-pointer to cap the Grizzlies’ flurry to open the final period.
–Field Level Media