Subscribe
Follow Us
Despite dropping a career-high 57 points and nine assists in Game 1 of the Utah Jazz's first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, Donovan Mitchell will not remember Monday's performance fondly.
The Jazz lost 135-125 in overtime, and a major miscue by Mitchell in the final minutes of regulation may have cost his team an opportunity to seal the game.
Mitchell certainly felt that way, as he lamented the 8-second violation he committed with 1:46 remaining in the fourth quarter with Utah holding a four-point lead. Jamal Murray, who torched the Jazz for 35 points, followed up Donovan's mistake with a 3-pointer.
“I put a bit on myself for the 8-second violation, and then they come down and hit a 3. That sequence changed the whole game,” Donovan Mitchell said of the Jazz's defeat, per Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune. “That’s my fault. That’s terrible on my part. I’ve got to be more aware.”
Utah played without Mike Conley Jr. — who left the bubble for the birth of his son — so Mitchell was forced to handle point guard duties.
The Nuggets, particularly Murray, found their shooting stroke down the stretch and in the extra period. Mitchell then admitted Denver's shotmaking was “draining.”
“We’ve got to do a better job coming back with the same poise. When they’re hitting shots like that, it’s deflating, especially when it’s happening over and over,” he added.
For what it's worth, the Nuggets outscored the Jazz 20-10 in OT.
Mitchell will have an opportunity to make amends for his error in Game 2 on Wednesday. Although after scoring nearly 60 points, it's doubtful Jazz fans are too displeased with his Game 1 performance.
