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Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell was mic'd up during TNT's broadcast of Game 1 against the Los Angeles Clippers, and he was caught delivering a pretty savage Clippers diss while speaking to his teammates on the bench as the teams prepared for the fourth quarter.
The Jazz struggled in the first half and even missed 20 straight shots at one point, falling behind by 13 points in the process. But Mitchell helped Utah surge back in the third quarter, tying the game at 79-79 heading into the fourth quarter. With the Clippers playing in a Game 7 just two days ago, Mitchell sensed they were tired and would potentially roll over if the Jazz delivered an early knockout blow in the final frame:
Donovan Mitchell Mic'd Up in GM1
“They played Game 7 two days ago. It’s all how we start this quarter. They’ll call it quits and get ready for Game 2 if we make them.”pic.twitter.com/WJUJ50EXs6
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 9, 2021
The Jazz did indeed control most of the fourth quarter, and Mitchell consistently roasted the Clippers' helpless defense down the stretch. However, he wasn't totally right in his assessment. LA fought hard until the very end, nearly erasing an eight-point deficit in the final 1:48. The Clippers had a chance to send the game to overtime, but Rudy Gobert saved the day by blocking a Marcus Morris 3-point attempt to seal the 112-109 victory.
Mitchell put forth an incredible performance in Game 1, going for 45 points on 16-of-30 from the field. Like the Jazz as a team, he got off to a sluggish start, but his scoring exploits to start the third quarter immediately got them back in the game. The Clippers had no answers for Spida in the second half, as he scored 32 points over the last two quarters.
LA is going to need to figure out a way to slow down Mitchell in order to get past Utah. It was understandable for them to be a bit fatigued after a short turnaround from that emotional Game 7, but the Clippers will need to ramp up their defensive intensity and put up more resistance so he's not controlling the entire series. Mitchell is ready for the challenge.
