Portland Trail Blazers swingman Norman Powell is considered a terrific lockdown defender in his position. But that fact did not seem to faze Utah Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell one bit, as he toyed with his defense on Thursday.

In the Jazz's home game at Vivint Smart Arena against the Blazers, Donovan Mitchell showed just why he is one of the most dynamic players in the league today. After sizing up the Blazers 3-and-D specialist with a couple of crossovers, he made him look silly with a gorgeous step back to create plenty of legroom.

A sliver of space was all Donovan Mitchell needed, as he pulled up for a textbook-looking jumper that hit nothing but net. Powell did try to recover and managed to contest the shot, but it proved futile. Here's the amazing iso-play from the two-time All-Star.

Donovan Mitchell had it going against Portland all night long, finishing with a game-best 37 points on 14-for-25 shooting, along with five rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 33 minutes of action in their 122-103 win. He outdueled fellow All-Star Damian Lillard, who put up 23 points in the losing effort. While Powell failed to contain Mitchell, he did pitch in 13 points for Rip City.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Donovan Mitchell, Zach LaVine, Jerami Grant all together with question marks all around the graphic and arrows pointing every which way around the graphic.

Bailey Bassett ·

Avery Bradley

Benedetto Vitale ·

Mets Donovan Mitchell Yankees lineup Aaron Judge

Peter Sampson ·

The Jazz still holds the best record in the league right now at 39-13. It will be hard to slow them down especially if Donovan Mitchell continues to cook his defenders.

The Jazz might have noticed after their win over the Blazers on Thursday night that the Phoenix Suns, who were gaining on them in the loss column for the lead in the Western Conference standings, lost to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Jazz are part of a complicated picture in this pandemic NBA season. Playing in a home building won't mean playing in front of a fully packed arena, but it still represents a familiar environment and the ability to sleep in one's own bed before game night. It will be fascinating to see if home-court advantage means a lot in a postseason fans won't be able to attend in normal numbers. Donovan Mitchell will have his work cut out for him.