“Royce O’Neale gamewinner? This sport is in the gutter”: NBA Twitter lauds Donovan Mitchell alongside the Utah Jazz swingman for sensational 2nd half efforts in their Game 1 win vs Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks

Royce O’Neale made his mark on what turned out to be an excellent tone-setter of a first-round Game 1 matchup between the Jazz and the Mavericks.

The absence of Luka Doncic from the Dallas starting lineup was definitely a big factor in Game 1. The Dallas Mavericks built up a lead early on in the first half of the game, buoyed by their vibrant American Airlines Arena crowd.

However, it seemed that Donovan Mitchell took his dud of a first-half performance personally. Spida caught fire early in the second half, raising the bar from a paltry 2-point first half.

His enterprise swung the momentum decisively in Utah’s favor right off the bat in the 3rd quarter. Mitchell piled up a whole bunch of points as the Jazz took a 6-point lead by the halfway mark of the 3rd quarter.

Also Read – “Okay, thanks!”: How Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson reached an agreement when Zen Master spoke to His Airness 1-on-1 for the first time

The game stayed close for the rest of the way, with both teams exchanging runs here and there. The final score of 99-93 undersells just how close the proceedings were.

Royce O’Neale grabs a neat dagger after a smart assist by Donovan Mitchell

The Dallas Mavericks cut the Jazz lead to just 1 point after a 3-pointer from rather deep range by Reggie Bullock. It fell to Donovan Mitchell to save Utah the blushes, which he did with some two-way play.

Spida initiated a steal, which started a sequence with a couple of Jazz attempts. The decisive one of those fell to Royce O’Neale, who grabbed onto an offensive rebound and repositioned to sink in a 3-pointer off an assist by Mitchell.

NBA Twitter gave the Jazz swingman his props as the game clock expired.

Also Read – “My father baited me into playing basketball!”: ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich reveals how he got into Basketball and how he stayed motivated