Great players make great plays when their team needs them most.
After Utah squandered a 15-point advantage entering the fourth quarter, Donovan Mitchell returned to the game with the Jazz clinging to a four point lead amidst a 15-4 Milwaukee run.
Immediately Mitchell made a difference, embarking on a personal 5-0 run as Utah hung on late to take down a depleted Milwaukee Bucks team 107-95 on Sunday night.
“That was a pivotal point in the game, that’s really my job to go out there and have that imprint at that moment,” Mitchell said. “For us, I hit a few shots, and we got some stops. Being able to push the lead out and put our foot on the gas a bit more, I did that, we all did that as a group.”
No Sunday scaries here #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/qOVr6BMygY
— Boo-tah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 1, 2021
It was a big win for the Jazz as they finished their first road trip of the season 2-1, splitting back-to-back games at Chicago and Milwaukee.
Mitchell scored 11 points in the final 5:35 of the game, finishing with a game-high 28.
“I thought Donovan was terrific attacking the rim,” Utah head coach Quin Snyder said postgame. “He had a couple of situations where he was able to get by and get to the rim. … We want him to be opportunistic.”
After struggling from the floor in last night’s contest against the Bulls, Mitchell was much more efficient against the Bucks. He shot 10-of-18 from the floor, 4-for-9 from beyond the arc, and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. He also added four rebounds, two assists, and two steals while finishing +11 from the floor.
“I think the biggest thing, not just for myself, but we really executed when we needed to,” Mitchell said. “There were times when Chicago amped up the pressure, and we weren’t ready for it, but tonight we were ready for it. The biggest thing is we competed on both ends of the floor, did a lot of things that weren’t our schemes but made the hustle plays.”
| 58 points in just over 24 hours #TakeNote | @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/Onn8oiXEKs
— Boo-tah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 1, 2021
Mike Conley, Mitchell’s backcourt mate, also made his presence felt after sitting out last night’s game against the Bulls. He finished with a season-high 20 points (4-for-7 from deep) while adding three rebounds and two assists.
The Jazz struggled shooting last night as a team, so it came as no surprise that the law of averages balanced back tonight in their favor.
Utah started 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, with Conley and Mitchell each knocking down two threes, leading to a 30-23 advantage after one.
back-to-back threes for Mike Conly#TakeNote | @MCONLEY11 pic.twitter.com/wAtovlYxJf
— Boo-tah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 31, 2021
The Jazz continued to play hard in the second quarter as Conley finished with eight points, helping stretch the lead to 57-48 at the break.
In the second half, Milwaukee came out with a vengeance, cutting Utah’s lead to five points late in the third.
But as a veteran team, the Jazz didn’t panic despite the Milwaukee crowd growing louder. Mitchell scored eight consecutive points as the team went on a 12-2 run to take the big lead entering the final 12 minutes.
“We just want to keep getting better,” Rudy Gobert said postgame. “Enjoy the season, enjoy the journey. … Just get better every night.”
Jordan Clarkson finished with 15 points off the bench, but his streak of 99 consecutive made threes ended as he finished 0-of-7 from beyond the arc. Although he failed to connect from deep, Clarkson continued to attack the rim and shot 6-for-10 within the three-point line.
“Nope, Nah, it’s over,” Clarkson said with a laugh and a shrug after being asked about the streak ending. “Start another one, that’s it.”
Despite failing to reach 100, Clarkson was instrumental in the fourth quarter as his defense proved pivotal.
“I feel like I’ve been saying it for a long time about his care factor and his will,” Snyder said of Clarkson. “He’s got a lot of pride. He can really score, but he wants to win more than he can score. … Those were big plays (at the end).”
Gobert’s streak of double-doubles ended at five as he finished with nine points and 13 rebounds, although he did add a season-high four blocks. Bojan Bogdanovic added 15 points.
| The best bits from today’s W in Milwaukee #podiumpostgame | @podiumhq pic.twitter.com/zcMprA1YEf
— Boo-tah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 1, 2021
Despite playing extremely short-handed with regular starters Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez out, Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
“From a position standpoint, we executed some of the things we wanted to do. … We kept them off the foul line. I thought that was a big thing,” Snyder said.
Utah returns home tied with Golden State for the best record in the West at 5-1. The Jazz will host Sacramento on Tuesday at 7 p.m. MST before embarking on another three-game road trip, this team heading to the southeast.
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