The beginning couldn't have been worse. The ending couldn't have been better.
An injury to star center Rudy Gobert and a buzzer-beater by veteran Joe Johnson bookended a thrilling 97-95 win that gave the Utah Jazz a 1-0 series lead over the LA Clippers in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs.
After a regular season that was defined by the team's resiliency in the face of numerous injuries, it took only 17 seconds for the Jazz to confront perhaps their toughest challenge yet—a potentially serious injury to Gobert. On the first possession of the game, Gobert suffered a left knee sprain when he was run into by LA's Luc Mbah A Moute.