Mitchell scores 28 as Jazz top Blazers 112-103 in OT
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Rookie Donovan Mitchell scored a career-high 28 points and the Utah Jazz beat the Portland Trail Blazers 112-103 in overtime Wednesday night.
The game was tight throughout, with 17 lead changes and 14 ties – and neither team ever leading by double-digits.
The Jazz ran their offense through Mitchell in overtime and he didn’t disappoint. He accounted for the first six Utah points with a 3-pointer, a pair of free throws and Rudy Gobert’s two free throws that Mitchell set up with a pass to the cutting big man.
Ricky Rubio, who finished with a season-high 30 points, buried a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 30.9 seconds left in overtime to give the Jazz a seven-point lead and put the game away.
The two Utah guards were fantastic down the stretch after the Jazz struggled on the offensive end.
Damian Lillard put the Blazers on his shoulders in the fourth quarter, but was kept in relative check in overtime. The two-time All Star finished with 33 points, and Jusuf Nurkic had a season-high 19 points.
The Blazers cleared out for Lillard on the final possession of regulation, but Gobert blocked his floater as time expired.
TIP-INS
Blazers: Portland entered the game ranked No. 6 in the league allowing 98.3 points per game. Coach Terry Stotts said that’s been the focus this season and their effectiveness has been more mental that schematic.
Jazz: Rodney Hood was 0 for 11 two days after scoring a season-high 25 points. He was benched down the stretch.
BUDDING FRIENDSHIP
Lillard and Mitchell have become friends in the last year and text regularly. Lillard said he liked Mitchell’s game at Louisville and noticed that he wore Lillard’s Adidas signature shoe. He texted Mitchell congratulations after the draft and had hoped the rookie would slide to Portland in the draft.
NO JOE
Jazz forward Joe Johnson is out at least two weeks with right wrist instability. Jonas Jerebko, who had only played four minutes in the first seven games, checked in early in the first quarter and will see more time in the rotation.
“Jonas is going to play, we need him to play,” Jazz coach Quyin Snyder said. “As the game goes on, we’ve had to feel (out) the game. There isn’t clarity. It’s not hockey. We don’t just sub rote. … The game is going to dictate minutes for our team for the majority of the guys.”
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: Host No. 2 pick Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.
Jazz: Host Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
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