National Basketball Association

3 Takeaways From UTA-DEN – G3

Updated Aug. 21, 2020 10:30 p.m. ET

For the second consecutive game, the Utah Jazz dominated the Denver Nuggets, winning Game 3 by a score of 124-87 to take a 2-1 series lead.

The Jazz have now won Games 2 and 3 by a combined 56 points.

Here are 3 Takeaways from Game 3 of this Western Conference first round series.

1. Mike Conley's big return

The Jazz were able to steal one of the first two games of the series without their starting point guard Mike Conley, who left the bubble for the birth of his child.

And in Game 3, Conley made up for the missed time in a major way, scoring a game-high 27 points, highlighted by 7 three-pointers.

On the day, Utah hit 18 threes compared to 12 for Denver, and the Jazz are now averaging 124.7 points per game in the series.

The Jazz are averaging 18 made threes per game through the first three games, and Conley's 7 from beyond the arc are a career-high.

2. Rudy Gobert dominates

In the first half, the Jazz were able to build a 20-point lead and a lot of it had to do with the dominant play of All-Star center Rudy Gobert.

Gobert racked up 20 points and 11 rebounds in the first half, en route to a 24-point, 14-rebound performance.

The 2-time Defensive Player of the Year is known as one of the best rim-protecting big men in the NBA, but through three games, he is making his presence felt offensively, averaging 20.0 points, 4.9 points higher than his regular season average of 15.1.

The Jazz are 12-4 this season when Gobert scores 20 or more.

3. Jamal Murray put on ice

In Denver's Game 1 victory, Murray was dominant in the fourth quarter and overtime, and finished the night with 36 points while shooting 65% from the field and 66% from three-point range.

But in the two games since, it's been tough sledding for the Nuggets starting point guard.

Murray has failed to reach 20 points in each of the last two games, averaging 13 points while shooting 37.9% from the field and 33% from three-point range.

How important has Murray's individual success been to Denver's team success in the bubble?

So far, the Nuggets are 2-0 in Orlando when Murray scores 20 or more. When he has scored less than 20, they are 0-5.