Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell delivers heroics, early and late

Utah Jazz sensation Donovan Mitchell is deadly early, late, and often.

Across the last five games of February, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell averaged 11.0 points in first-quarter action, shooting 61.0 percent beyond the arc between that handful of opening stanzas.

And Mitchell’s teammates must be thankful for his early heroics of late, for he has helped set the tone as Utah (39-22) has won nine of its last ten contests. The potency out of the gates from the former low lottery pick was again on full display during the Jazz’s March opener on Wednesday night, a 132-127 overtime road victory over the Houston Rockets (15-47).

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Yet until Mitchell exhibited his precision from long distance, Utah trailed, 9-4. The Jazz could have continued with their somewhat sluggish start and put themselves at an even greater risk of what would have been their second loss at the hands of a Houston squad that resides at the rock bottom of the Western Conference standings.

Donovan Mitchell with winning plans for the Utah Jazz

This go-round, Donovan Mitchell finished the first quarter with 13 points and one steal, shooting 5-for-8 from the field, including a 3-for-6 clip from downtown.

At the time, the three-time NBA All-Star had visibly outshined the admirably determined Rocket youngsters, whether finding paydirt via his oh-so-confident stroke from up to 28 feet or splitting Houston defenders for easy buckets at the rim.

Utah led after one, 25-20, and built that into a 66-53 advantage at the half. By then, Mitchell had tallied 22 points to go along with six assists, all of which came in the second quarter.

In other words, after drawing the bulk of the defense’s attention with his self-made scoring magic in the first quarter, Mitchell wisely opted to capitalize on the extra spacing his splashes had created, driving, drawing fouls, and dishing dimes.

A Donovan Mitchell-fueled escape for the Utah Jazz in Houston

Sure, the Houston Rockets eventually pulled to within four with four minutes to play in the fourth quarter. They then pulled within three with under three, two with under two, and one with under one before tying the score with 30 seconds left on the clock.

But Mitchell, as he was tumbling down the lane, found Mike Conley deep in the corner for a swish that initially looked to be the game-winner with 8.3 ticks to go in regulation.

However, on the other end, a buzzer-beating three from Christian Wood forced overtime.

Still, Mitchell and Conley went on to combine for 15 points in the extra session, effectively silencing Houston’s valiant threat.

Looking back at it, though, the uncomfortably tight finish just further speaks to the importance of Mitchell’s first-quarter excellence. Without it, there’s no telling how disappointed fans in Utah might be at the moment, having to cope with another rather embarrassing L to the lowly Rockets.

The 25-year-old out of Louisville ended up with a game-high 37 points, marking his fifth straight game scoring at least 25 points — 30 or more in four of those five. Plus, Mitchell tallied ten assists, three steals, and two rebounds across his 40 minutes.

From the looks of it, despite others embracing the role more often in the past, Donovan Mitchell is becoming this team’s early go-to maestro and bucket-getter. Given his recent brilliance early, late, and whenever, this should all be pleasing to Utah Jazz faithful right now.

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