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Mitchell explodes for Jazz rookie record with 41 points in win over Pelicans

Gene Sweeney Jr. / Getty Images Sport / Getty

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.

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