The Utah Jazz lost their first game against the Denver Nuggets 135-125 in OT. In that game, Utah guard Donovan Mitchell scored a crazy 57 points and still faced defeat. The critics agreed that Donovan might not replicate his performance in the current playoff season, and hence the Jazz might not taste a victory. Surprisingly, Utah proved everyone wrong at all the fronts.
The Jazz are 3-1 ahead after winning game 4, and Donovan Mitchell has finally achieved his redemption. His 50+ that got wasted earlier has now given them a remarkable victory. Moreover, his electric performance has got his name cemented in the NBA record book.
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Utah Jazz can ask nothing more out of Donovan Mitchell
‘Spida’ dropped bombs on the Denver Nuggets in game 4. He scored 51 points (of which 18 came in the deciding quarter), 4 rebounds, and 7 assists. Even if we compare his performance with his own team’s, we see that Jordan Clarkson and Mike Conley Jr. together accumulated 50 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. This just showed how Donovan’s 38 minutes were doubly fruitful to his side.
Additionally, as a result of it, he became one of the only four players to ever score multiple 50-point games in a single playoff season. The others being Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Allen Iverson.
Players with multiple 50-point games in a single playoff run:
– Michael Jordan (2x)
– Wilt Chamberlain
– Allen Iverson
– Donovan Mitchell pic.twitter.com/jpheuEbPub— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 24, 2020
Mitchell got them an important four-point lead as he shot a three-pointer when 54 seconds were remaining in the game. We can expect another such 50-point game from this man, given his current form.
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Everything from the Nuggets went in vain
Jamal Murray had his own 50-point (he got a last-second three) game with 11 rebounds and 7 assists, but all in vain. This is Jamal’s second playoff season in his career and he is averaging almost seven more points per game with more number of assists and rebounds than the last year. He is getting enough support from center Nikola Jokic, but nothing is proving worthwhile.
Donovan Mitchell of the @utahjazz and Jamal Murray of the @nuggets are the first pair of players to score 50+ points each in a non-overtime game (regular season or postseason) since Wilt Chamberlain (63) and Elgin Baylor (51) did so on December 14, 1962.
— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) August 24, 2020
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Donovan on the other hand is playing in his third consecutive playoff and has shown tremendous growth. He is one of the most improved playoffs players we have. From a 21.4 points average last season to a 39.5 points average in this season, he is performing like a beast. The star dunker has only started and we are sure he will break more records, perhaps in the current season. The two teams will next play in the NBA Playoffs 2020 on August 25th.