Korver defends Mitchell after missing crucial 3-pointer
Donovan Mitchell's game-high 34 points became an afterthought after the budding Utah Jazz star missed a wide-open, game-tying triple in the dying seconds of Saturday's Game 3 loss to the Houston Rockets.
The second-year guard was clearly disappointed after the play, but teammate Kyle Korver offered some words of encouragement postgame.
"He missed a tough shot tonight, but it’s just going to be part of his story," Korver told reporters, including KSL's Jeremiah Jensen. "If you’ve played any meaningful basketball in the NBA, you have a shot like that. If you don’t, that means you haven’t played any meaningful games or you haven’t been trusted by your coaches or teammates to take that shot. I don’t care who it is in history, everybody has a shot they want back."
Mitchell hit five of his first six shots but finished 9-of-27 overall, including a stretch of 11 straight misses. The 22-year-old took responsibility for his struggles, which impressed the veteran guard.
"I have never been around a young player like Donovan Mitchell," Korver said. "I have never seen someone so young take ownership of a team, take ownership of his play, do it with charisma, do it with class. I've never seen that in my 16 years in the NBA."
Mitchell is averaging 21.3 points on 32.8 percent shooting across three postseason games.
The Jazz will attempt to keep their season alive when the series resumes Monday in Utah.