3 storylines to watch in Nuggets-Jazz Game 7 showdown

There weren't many who pegged the Denver Nuggets-Utah Jazz series as must-see TV when the NBA's playoff bracket was set.

The Jazz were already missing second-leading scorer Bojan Bogdanovic when starting guard Mike Conley left the bubble for the birth of his son on the eve of Game 1.

What's transpired between the clubs over the past two weeks has blown all expectations out of the water. Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray have engaged in a historic duel, and the Nuggets have battled back from a 3-1 series deficit to cement this opening-round matchup among the most memorable in recent years.

Here are three storylines to watch in Tuesday's do-or-die Game 7:

Mitchell-Murray duel reaches its climax

What else do these talented guards have in store?

Entering the postseason, only Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson had registered multiple 50-point games in a single series. Mitchell and Murray have doubled that exclusive list with their own jaw-dropping performances. In fact, their four combined 50-point games are already the most in an NBA postseason, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Both players have been unstoppable. Mitchell has been masterful in the pick-and-roll, averaging a league-leading 19.2 points while also being an effective playmaker in such situations.

Murray, meanwhile, hasn't seen a shooting opportunity that he hasn't liked. The Canadian dug deep into his toolbox for Game 6, using a series of floaters, step-backs, and pull-up jumpers to ice the Jazz.

Game 7 could simply come down to which player has the most left to give his team.

Harris locking it down

Denver received a major boost Sunday with the surprise return of Gary Harris, who had been out since suffering a hip strain shortly after the club arrived in Orlando. The fifth-year guard understandably showed some rust, scoring just four points on 1-of-4 shooting in 21 minutes.

But the Nuggets aren't looking to Harris for his offense. The Michigan State product has made his mark in the league with his shutdown defense against the opposition's top perimeter threats. Harris' physical condition limited his time on the court in Game 6, though Denver head coach Michael Malone maximized Harris' impact by matching him up with Utah reserve Jordan Clarkson.

Harris finished the contest with a plus-16 rating, and the Nuggets surrendered only 88.4 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor. It's no coincidence that Clarkson, who entered Sunday's tilt averaging nearly 20 points, failed to find his offensive rhythm. The Jazz guard was scoreless with Harris as his primary defender and managed just 11 points overall on 5-of-14 shooting.

It would be a lot to ask of Harris to guard Mitchell with so few minutes under his belt, but he's held the star in check in the past and, of course, all bets are off in a Game 7.

Gobert must be involved offensively

Rudy Gobert is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, but his role in Utah's offense can't be understated. The Frenchman led all players during the regular season with 16 screen-assist points per game and ranked second with an average of 6.9 screen assists, as the club finished ninth in offensive efficiency. However, those numbers dipped to 13 and 5, respectively, in the Game 6 loss.

The Jazz found a lot of success early in the series with the Gobert-Mitchell pick-and-roll tandem. He's a lob threat when rolling to the basket and can free up Mitchell for clean 3-point looks on high screens, yet Utah has inexplicably used the hulking center less in screening actions over the past two contests. As a result, Utah's offense has become stagnant at times with Mitchell, Clarkson, or Conley increasingly trying to create for themselves in isolation.

The Jazz are more predictable with Gobert eliminated from the offensive flow, creating more pressure on Mitchell to produce.