Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell finally returned to the lineup after missing the final 16 regular-season games and then a Game 1 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies due to an ankle injury. Mitchell played well in his return in Game 2, going for 25 points in 26 minutes in a 141-129 win.

Mitchell's triumphant return to the court wasn't without some drama, though. Early in the fourth quarter, the guard seemed to tweak the same right ankle that caused him to miss so much time. He hobbled around a bit and had to check out of the game, heading back to the locker room shortly after.

However, Mitchell would return later to help secure the win. Afterward, he said there's nothing to worry about.

Via Sarah Todd of the Deseret News:

“It wasn’t anything bad,” he said after the Utah Jazz’s Game 2 series tying 141-129 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. “It wasn’t anything to be weary of. I feel good.”

Mitchell also explained why he went back to the locker room:

“Just trying to keep it warm,” Mitchell said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. I just haven’t played in five weeks, so all my stuff that I’ve been doing, the ankle is warm. Every workout, there’s always a time where you’re warm. There’s never a time where you’re sitting and coming back in.”

Mitchell ultimately said he “felt better than anticipated” in his return to action. The Jazz needed his presence against Ja Morant and a Grizzlies squad that will not lay down. Morant put up a whopping 47 points and helped lead a third-quarter charge that saw Memphis nearly erase a 20-point halftime deficit.

But Utah punched back, looking more like the team that wound up with the best record in the NBA. Mitchell and Co. made it rain from downtown, setting a franchise playoff record in the process.