SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell threw down a one-handed slam dunk in the third quarter of Game 1 against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Jazz were on the fastbreak when Bojan Bogdanovic found Mitchell on the right side for the one-handed slam. While throwing down the dunk, Mitchell was able to get the hammer dunk to go despite contact from a Mavericks defender.

That play gave the Jazz a 64-55 lead with 3:36 remaining in the third quarter. Mitchell was up to 17 points at that time. He later scored a layup to put his point total to 19. Mitchell was 1-of-9 from the field in the first half before going off for 17 points in just the third quarter.

Playoff don dunk ☑️ pic.twitter.com/TWzCswSoMx

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 16, 2022

Over the last two seasons, the Jazz have seen just how difficult it is to win in the playoffs without key players in their rotation.

Last season, the Jazz dealt with injuries to both members of their All-Star backcourt as Donovan Mitchell missed game one against the Memphis Grizzlies with a badly rolled ankle, and Mike Conley missed most of the Los Angeles Clippers series with a strained hamstring.

The Jazz beat the Grizzlies in five games (their lone loss coming without Mitchell) and fell to the Clippers in six games without Conley.

Two seasons ago, the Jazz fell in the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets without starting forward Bojan Bogdanovic who underwent wrist surgery during the league’s COVID-suspended season.

Only reserve guard Trent Forrest (foot sprain) and third-string center Udoka Azubuike (ankle surgery) are on the Jazz injury report ahead of Saturday’s game one.

It’s difficult to overstate how important Doncic has been to the Mavericks this season.

The superstar guard leads all Dallas roster players in points, rebounds, assists, steals, field goal attempts, and usage.

Doncic has the NBA’s all-time best scoring average in the playoffs at 33.5 points per game, though he’s yet to lead the Mavericks to a first-round series win in two postseasons.

Dallas is expected to rely heavily on the recently acquired Spencer Dinwiddie in Doncic’s absence. The veteran guard averaged 15.8 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 23 appearances since joining the Mavericks at the trade deadline.

The Mavericks are 18-5 since acquiring Dinwiddie but were just 8-9 when Doncic has missed games.

The game can be heard on KSL NewsRadio and The Zone Sports Network. The series opener is televised on ESPN, AT&T SportsNet, and FuboTV.

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