Breaking down the top 5 Utah Jazz moments of 2019
By Dean Hasan
2. Mitchell’s career night clinches fifth in Western Conference
About a month after dropping 46 on the Bucks, Donovan Mitchell repeated his scoring outburst against the Nuggets on April 9, 2019 in a game during which the stakes were much higher. A win would put the team just out of reach of the sixth-place Oklahoma City Thunder, while a loss would keep them within striking distance of OKC.
Along with his 46 points, Mitchell added seven rebounds, five threes, three assists and two steals on 14-of-26 shooting from the field.
https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/1115826694714286080
Though Mitchell led the way, this victory was a major team effort. Rudy Gobert poured in 20 points and 10 boards, Joe Ingles recorded 10 points, six rebounds and 13 assists and Derrick Favors had 16 points and seven rebounds of his own. In the fourth quarter, Gobert even called his own number and showed off some handles as he took Paul Millsap to the bucket.
RUDY GOBERT BALL HANDLER™️ pic.twitter.com/Tjw8s2oNUr
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 10, 2019
Whereas Rudy rarely takes people off the dribble, the Utah Jazz showed they can win against the conference’s best with regularity. Their success might not have translated during the playoffs, but on this night, the Jazz proved that they’re among the league’s best.