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Donovan Mitchell-to-Rudy Gobert game-winning alley-oop spoils Luka Doncic's return as Jazz defeat Mavericks in Game 4

Kyle Irving

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Donovan Mitchell-to-Rudy Gobert game-winning alley-oop spoils Luka Doncic's return as Jazz defeat Mavericks in Game 4 image

The Dallas Mavericks returned Luka Doncic in Game 4 after the superstar guard missed the first three games of the series with a left calf strain.

Doncic went down with the injury in the final game of the regular season, placing fear on his status for the entire first round of the playoffs against the Utah Jazz. Doncic was able to make a quicker return than expected, nearly coming back for Game 3 before the team elected to hold him out until Game 4.

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The Mavericks entered the contest with a 2-1 lead in the series thanks to Jalen Brunson stepping up in Doncic's absence, averaging 32.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists through the first three games.

Doncic looked like he was ailing a bit to start this contest but quickly returned to form, hitting some big shots down the stretch. However, it was the Jazz who closed things out to come away with a victory, with Donovan Mitchell making a few huge plays in the final seconds, including a game-winning alley-oop to Rudy Gobert.

For more on this back-and-forth contest and Doncic's debut, we have you covered below.

How did Luka Doncic play in his 2022 NBA Playoffs debut?

Doncic looked a little sluggish to start, presumably getting comfortable back out on the floor as he works through a nagging calf strain. It didn't take long for him to log his first bucket, but he looked to be moving a little slow.

As the game went on, Doncic began to settle in. He had tallied 14 points while shooting 6-for-11 from the field and 2-for-4 from 3-point range in 17 minutes of playing time in the first half, but the Mavericks trailed by 12 as the team tried to get accustomed to having the ball-dominant guard back in the lineup.

Dallas quickly erased Utah's deficit in the third frame behind a big quarter from Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith, giving Doncic plenty of time to rest up for the fourth.

Doncic didn't truly start to look like himself until the final period. The All-Star guard began to demand the ball down the stretch, taking and making clutch shots like we've seen from him so many times.

It seemed like every time someone from the Jazz made a tough shot, Doncic had an answer. When Mitchell buried a tough layup to take a one-point lead with under a minute to play, we saw Luka come back right away with a bucket to match.

After the Mavericks came up with a stop, Doncic buried one of his patented stepback 3s, which seemed like a dagger at the time.

Mitchell would come up with two clutch plays after that to swing the game (more on that in a moment), but Doncic did have one last opportunity to try and win it for the Mavericks.

The Jazz did a fantastic job of getting the ball out of Doncic's hands on the final possession, double-teaming the playmaker to force someone else to take the final shot. Spencer Dinwiddie's attempt was off the mark, sealing the outcome for Utah.

Doncic finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals in 34 minutes of playing time. Playing over 30 minutes in his first game back can only be seen as a positive as to where he is in his recovery process.

Donovan Mitchell finds Rudy Gobert on game-winning alley-oop

As mentioned above, Mitchell came up with two huge plays with the Jazz's back against a wall. After Doncic's stepback 3 to take a four-point lead with 39 seconds left, Mitchell responded with a timely and-one to bring Utah within one.

After Dwight Powell missed two free throws on the other end, Mitchell ran a pick-and-roll with Gobert to perfection, finding the All-Star center on an alley-oop to win the game.

With the series knotted at 2-2, the Jazz will head to Dallas for a pivotal Game 5 on Monday, April 25 at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.