3 studs and 1 dud from Utah Jazz win over Bulls

Utah Jazz stud: Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell was good last night: good in the sense that he broke records.

Mitchell scored 25 points in the third quarter, breaking Karl Malone’s franchise record for most points in a single frame (22). On the evening, he finished with 37 points on 12/22 shooting from the field and 9/15 shooting from three-point range.

There are very few players in the NBA who can get as hot as Donovan Mitchell. That was on full display last night. Any time you score 37 points on 22 shots, your team has a great chance to win that contest.

Mitchell’s 5 assists to 4 turnovers weren’t impressive, but his offensive explosion opened up the floor for the entire team. Nickeil Alexander-Walker in particular benefitted from the defensive attention Mitchell was drawing.

As a whole, the team shot 19/39 from three-point range (48.7%), a marked improvement from their last contest. Obviously, that credit doesn’t go solely to Mitchell. His teammates hit shots as well.

The defensive attention he received certainly opened up the team’s offense. Snyder’s pick-and-spread offense is dependent on a high-octane offensive engine. Mitchell routinely looks the part, but seldom plays it as well as he did last night.

Hardly anybody in the NBA ever does.