NBA playoffs: 3 storylines from the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz in Game 2

2. Utah Jazz put on a clinic with 3-point shooting and ball movement

The Jazz finished the season as the best 3-point shooting team in the NBA. They converted 38 percent of their attempts from downtown. Additionally, Utah was also ranked sixth in made 3-pointers, knocking down 13.4 per contest.

While the Jazz were a bit off the mark in the series opener (shooting 34 percent from long range), they certainly turned that trend around in Game 2, and in a big way. In fact, the Jazz scored 60 points from beyond the arc, shooting a respectable 20-for-45. That’s a conversion rate of 45.5 percent.

Not only did Utah shoot the ball well from deep, but it also received efficient production from multiple players in this area. Donovan Mitchell led the attack with a blistering 6-for-7 effort. Both Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson made four 3-pointers each on nine attempts. And Royce O’Neale shot 3-for-4 from the land of 3.

Another area where Utah excelled was ball movement. The team recorded 32 assists (and just eight turnovers) on 45 made field goals, which contributed to a 51.7 percent shooting night from the floor. The Nuggets have had their fair struggles with perimeter defense during the eight-game seeding tournament and that trend was on display once again.

Whether Utah can continue shooting the long ball at an efficient rate remains to be seen. What is a certainty is that the Nuggets playoff run could be a short one if they aren’t able to improve on this deficiency.