MY ACCOUNT
Donovan Mitchell’s performance “looked like a video game” as he made a spectacular return to the court after missing eight straight games due to a concussion.
That was the view of his Utah Jazz teammate Udoka Azubuike after Mitchell made up for lost time as the Jazz, fourth in the Western Conference, outclassed the out-of-form Brooklyn Nets 125-102 on Friday.
Mitchell ended the game with 27 points in just under 22 minutes, draining six of his seven three-point attempts and adding six assists.
He set a franchise record for most points scored in under 22 minutes, while Bojan Bogdanovic was a valuable ally with 19 points and 11 rebounds, ensuring the Nets were consigned to a seventh consecutive defeat.
Azubuike found himself in disbelief at Mitchell’s heroics.
“He was unbelievable,” Azubuike said about Mitchell. “It looked like a video game. There was one time I had to catch myself in the moment because I was just watching him.
“Every shot was going in. Don is a star.”
For Mitchell, who has reached three straight All-Star Games, getting back to action was the most important factor after the Jazz went 2-6 in his absence.
“I was just happy to be playing basketball,” he said, per ESPN. “I was joking before the game that I didn’t care if the ball went in.
“I was just happy to be out there running around, guarding, thinking the game and playing with my teammates.
“I’d rather be out there playing, but I just told someone my legs haven’t felt that fresh in a long time.”
With Quin Snyder in the COVID-19 health and safety protocols, it was Alex Jensen who acted as interim coach for the Jazz, with Mitchell’s return making his task more straightforward.
“There’s so much focus other teams have on him that it frees up other guys offensively,” said Jensen.
“He’s Donovan Mitchell and makes life a lot easier for everybody.”
James Harden (hamstring), Kevin Durant (knee), LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle) and Joe Harris (ankle) were all again absent for a Nets team who have plummeted to sixth in the East.
The Nets’ Kyrie Irving acknowledged they had come up against one of the NBA’s biggest stars in Mitchell.
“We have a lot of special guys in our league,” said Irving, who ended the game with 15 points after going just six for 20 from the field.
“But there are a few special guys that even separate from that group of just being special and he’s one of those people.”
The Jazz host the New York Knicks on Monday in the third contest of a six-game run at home that has so far produced two victories from two.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, will be in Denver to face the Nuggets on Sunday.
