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Nuggets vs Jazz: When Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray's epic scoring duels meant more than the final result

It felt like no team deserved to lose especially with the helluva show Mitchell and Nuggets' Jamal Murray put up throughout the series

There's a clip of Utah Jazz's Donovan Mitchell in tears doing the rounds on Twitter after the nail-biting Game 7 finish that saw the Denver Nuggets edge to the second round of the NBA Playoffs with an 80-78 win. And for once, it felt like no team deserved to lose especially with the show Mitchell and Nuggets' Jamal Murray put up throughout the series.

As cliched as the line, "going down the wire" is, that was exactly what happened as the two gave it all they had, and thanks to Jokic's last-minute sink, Nuggets made it to round two. It felt like Goku vs Vegeta as both Mitchell and Murray slammed in 51 and 50 points respectively in Game 4. Murray followed it up with 42 points in the next game while Mitchell decided to make a comeback with 44 in Game 6.

However, his effort was topped off by Mitchell as he cracked 50 points before the tearful post-game press conference. In Game 7, Murray had 17 while Mitchell had 22. The six games saw neither teams back out, but in the seventh, Mitchell could only watch as Nuggets celebrated their win.

It is safe to say their battle has been the most epic of the entire season. It overshadowed almost everything else that happened and will go down as one of the best scoring duels of all time. Despite the fatigue, Mitchell was a star on the court during Game 7 and not just did he defend Murray for lengthy periods, he also maximized the scoring opportunities as part of Utah's offense plans. It was all about defense and both players did their part. 

The scoreline says it all. 80-77 was a heck of a defense-heavy game. Comparing this to the Rockets vs Thunder scoreline of 104-100 on Monday would be unfair as both sides had a choppy start. Gobert and Jokic took over the scoring for the latter part of the game, but again, the groundwork was set by these two 23-year-olds who won respect from fans across the world.

For those unaware, the praises may seem over-the-top, but anyone who sat through the entire series would know the reason behind it. "Much respect to Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell. Those two put on a show," read one of the comments on Twitter.

"Facts bro! Have so much respect for each other you could tell how heartbroken he was but Murray went straight to him and lifted him up for a great battle they just had and how hurt Mitchell was, he had to respect the competitiveness they both brought. No team deserved to lose," read another tweet.

Best of all, it was healthy rivalry. You can watch the clip of Murray consoling Mitchell in this clip via SportsCenter.

The Nuggets will face the Clippers on September 3.