Utah Jazz: 2 studs and 1 dud from win vs Bucks
The Utah Jazz made several statements in last night’s victory vs the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. One of those statements was that they won’t let one difficult loss lead to another. One of them is that they aren’t afraid of anybody. Another was that when they have their starting backcourt intact, they’re a much more effective team. This was the type of win that should have Utah Jazz fans salivating. They defeated the NBA champions on the tail end of a back-to-back. That requires gumption, work and flawless execution, all of which the Jazz put on full display last night.
Admittedly, luck played a role in this victory, as it often does. The Bucks were without the Robin to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Batman in Khris Middleton, as well as (Alfred?) Jrue Holiday. On the subject of Antetokounmpo, he hoisted an uncharacteristic 11 three-point attempts, connecting on 3 of them. Perhaps he was trying to compensate for Middleton’s absence, but many of those attempts were misguided, and his focus on (attempted) floor spacing took him out of his usual, unstoppable inside game.
Disregard those details: this was a great win for the Jazzmen. Here are 2 studs and 1 dud from last night’s proceedings.
Utah Jazz stud: Donovan Mitchell
Watching this game, Jazz fans breathed a sigh of relief so collective that it threatened to alter weather patterns in Salt Lake City.
It’s not that Donovan Mitchell had a career night: his 28 points represent a realistic average for the supremely talented young off-guard. It’s that finally, for the first time this season, Mitchell was efficient. Those points came on 10/18 shooting from the field, and 4/9 shooting from three-point range.
The shooting slump may be over.
Mitchell looked considerably more comfortable in this contest than he has throughout the 2021-22 season. Interestingly, he finished this game with only 2 assists, to go with 4 turnovers. In an odd way, that might have been an encouraging sign. Mitchell wasn’t trying to serve double duty as a facilitator throughout this contest: he was focused on scoring.
Mitchell has solid passing vision. The assists will come. The baskets simply have to come first, and they have to come efficiently. He was able to make both of those things happen for the first time this season last night. Hopefully, it’s a trend that holds.
It’s also possible that the presence of another Utah Jazz stud from last night paid dividends towards Mitchell’s own performance.