“It Felt Like I Could Have Kept Going” | Mitchell’s Career Night Leads Utah To Crucial Win | Utah Jazz

Following Monday’s loss to Milwaukee, Donovan Mitchell vowed that he would do better in the fourth quarter of games. The three-time all-star has struggled — by his standards — in clutch scenarios throughout the season, forcing him to confront the situation when asked about it.

“I gotta be better,” Mitchell said Monday night. “I’m typically alright in that situation. … My teammates trust me, I trust myself.”

It turns out that Mitchell’s heroics weren’t needed in the fourth quarter.

After a breakout performance in the third quarter where he dropped a career-high 25 points, Mitchell and the Jazz handled business against Chicago with a 125-110 victory.

“I didn’t know it was 25, it didn’t feel like 25. … It felt like I could have kept going,” Mitchell said.

It was a special night for Mitchell as his 25 points and seven three-pointers set career-highs for totals in a quarter. His 9-for 15 shooting from beyond the arc tied his career-high in made threes, while the seven he made was a Utah franchise record for made three-pointers in a quarter.

Altogether, Mitchell finished with 37 points on 12-for-22 shooting with five assists and three rebounds. While he dominated the game with his scoring in the third, he helped the Jazz extend the lead in the fourth with his play-making as Chicago constantly double-teamed the all-star guard. But rather than forcing the issue, he made the right play, and Utah’s offense flourished with 36 points in the final 12 minutes.

| That third quarter was something else #TakeNote | @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/JkwWnj7wen

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 17, 2022

Mitchell’s assists in the fourth quarter wouldn’t have mattered if no one was on the receiving end scoring — and newcomer Nickeil Alexander-Walker was more than happy to oblige.

After seeing little action since he was acquired at the trade deadline a month ago, Alexander-Walker rose to the occasion with a breakout game after getting into the rotation following injuries to Bojan Bogdanovic and Danuel House Jr.

And he made the most of it.

Alexander-Walker was the biggest beneficiary of the Bulls throwing double-teams at Mitchell, finishing with 14 points in the fourth quarter on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. He totaled 16 points and four rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench, finishing with a +15 rating.

But more than his offense, Alexander-Walker’s effort on defense drew the most praise from head coach Quin Snyder postgame. He pulled the assignment of defending Chicago’s stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, and made life exceedingly difficult for the duo.

“He was focused on defending, and he was playing well even before he knocked down some shots,” Snyder said.

“It means I’m fitting in, and that’s a good feeling to be a part of a winning team and a winning organization,” Alexander-Walker added.

This pass to @NickeilAW #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/rFYK1bkilp

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 17, 2022

The game started out as a back-and-forth affair with defense taking center stage, as each team found themselves leading by six points at one point. After Chicago took its largest lead with two minutes left in the quarter, the Jazz ended the frame on a 7-1 run to tie the game at 27 entering the second.

Tied at 32 early on, Utah found some separation with a 10-2 run and was able to keep the Bulls at bay the rest of the quarter. While Chicago cut the deficit to three multiple times, Jordan Clarkson’s three-pointer with eight seconds left capped off a nine-point quarter as Utah led 54-49 at the half.

The third quarter belonged to Mitchell, but he didn’t start doing his damage right away.

After Chicago tied the game at 58, Mitchell made his first bucket with 8:11 left in the third, combining with Clarkson to score Utah’s final 31 points in the quarter.

The Jazz led 89-81 going into the fourth — but the final quarter was not without drama.

After Utah stretched its lead to 13, the Bulls rallied with a 15-6 run as LaVine caught fire with 11 quick points to cut the Jazz deficit to four with 6:52 to play. Mitchell immediately righted the ship, igniting a 14-0 run as Alexander-Walker had eight points during that span to put the game out of reach.

Don broke Karl Malone’s record for points in a 3rd quarter

“We got a win against a really good team. We all showed up to play.”#WalkoffInterview | @lhmauto pic.twitter.com/wUSFYnHF4e

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 17, 2022

Clarkson finished with 26 points and five rebounds off the bench, while Conley added 14 points and seven assists. Rudy Gobert finished with a monster double-double of 14 points, 20 rebounds, and four blocks, completely changing the game with his presence in the paint on both ends of the court.

The Jazz wrap up their four-game homestand when they host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night in a playoff rematch of last season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MST.

What a night for @spidadmitchell:

Second-most points in a game this season (37)
Tied a career-high for threes in a game (9)
Set a new franchise high for threes in a quarter (7)
Set a new franchise high for points in the 3rd (25)#PerformanceLeader | @UofUHealth pic.twitter.com/Js6h6eDbmk

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 17, 2022