Donovan Mitchell credited the Utah Jazz's killer instinct in their 114-89 demolition of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at Vivint Arena on Wednesday.
While most young teams would be complacent and overconfident when enjoying a big lead over the defending champions, Spida is proud that his team never let their guard down until the final horn sounded:
Donovan Mitchell: "The best thing about this game was that we kept our foot on the gas."
The Jazz do that on a regular basis these days. They have 22 double-digit wins — 20 during this 22-2 stretch.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 25, 2021
After a close opening quarter, the Jazz completely outclassed the undermanned Lakers in the next 36 minutes of the contest. Donovan Mitchell, who was recently named an All-Star for the second season in a row, actually had a rough night shooting the ball. He only had 13 points on 4-for-16 shooting from the field to go along with 10 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. Luckily for the Jazz, their best player's cold-shooting night did not matter that much, as the rest of the team got the job done.
Utah punished the Lakers with its incredible 3-point proficiency, shooting 22-for-48 from distance. The Jazz even notched an NBA record for making a combined 50 made 3-pointers in a span of two games.
While the Jazz have raced ahead of the pack with the best record in the league at 26-6, there are still some pundits who question their status as legitimate contenders for the title this year. That rather easy win against the Lakers is clearly a testament to their chances, and they made history on Wednesday night:
Per @ESPNStatsInfo, the Jazz are the first team in NBA history to record 22 double-digit wins in their first 32 games. https://t.co/2NfbrTMGfp
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 25, 2021
Donovan Mitchell, meanwhile, likely left out a stern warning to the rest of the league. They clearly learned from their mistakes in the bubble last season and will never let their foot off the gas until they have the Larry O'Brien Trophy in their possession by season's end. Utah will still have to actually prove it can win big in the playoffs, but the team is looking mighty formidable.
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