Mitchell explodes for Jazz rookie record with 41 points in win over Pelicans
Utah Jazz rookie guard Donovan Mitchell went bananas Friday night, pouring in 41 points to lead the Jazz to a come-from-behind win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
It was the highest-scoring total for any rookie this season, and also the most for any first-year player in Jazz history. He's the first rookie to cross the 40-point plateau since Blake Griffin in 2011.
When he got his 40th point on a free throw with 21 seconds to play, he allowed himself to soak in the moment:
Mitchell shot 13-of-25 from the field and 6-of-12 from 3-point range, adding four rebounds and four assists, and posting a plus-11 rating in 37 electrifying minutes.
The No. 13 overall pick got 29 of his points in the second half - including 17 in the fourth quarter - when he carved up the Pelicans' defense with pull-up threes, crafty hesitation dribbles, serpentine drives to the hoop, and tough finishes in traffic. Without Anthony Davis, who left the game early in the fourth with a groin injury, the Pelicans couldn't offer much in the way of resistance in the pick-and-roll, or at the rim.
In the final four minutes, Mitchell had a hand in 15 Jazz points, going 4-for-4 from the field (a 3-ball and three driving layups), hitting three free throws, and producing a drive-and-kick assist on a Joe Ingles triple. His late-game heroics helped turn a 98-92 deficit into a 114-108 win, the fifth in a row for the suddenly streaking Jazz.