Not only did the Utah Jazz blow yet another big lead this season in their 121-115 loss Tuesday night, but their collapse also came against a Los Angeles Clippers team that staged a similar comeback in last year's playoffs.
For Donovan Mitchell, the defeat put him at a loss for words.
"I don't know what to say. This is the same shit," Mitchell said, according to The Athletic's Tony Jones.
"This is literally the same thing as last year."
Down 3-2 in Game 6 of Utah and Los Angeles' Western Conference semifinals matchup last season, the Jazz led the Clippers by 25 points early in the third quarter before losing the game and the series. On Tuesday, Utah also surrendered a 25-point lead after going up 76-51 midway through the third.
The Jazz had a chance to win the game down four points with 10 seconds left. However, while trying to inbound the ball, Mitchell called for a timeout Utah didn't have. The resulting technical foul and loss of possession sealed the Jazz's 14th blown lead this campaign and fifth straight defeat overall.
Rudy Gobert blamed Utah's struggles to maintain leads on a lack of fight.
"We don't get our hands dirty. We never get our hands dirty," he said, according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Gobert continued: "We're a very good basketball team, but I get f----- up every night, guys are literally beating me up every night. ... We have to get to the point where we do that to the other team, too."
With the loss, the 45-31 Jazz are now tied with the Denver Nuggets for fifth in the Western Conference. They're also just two games up on the Minnesota Timberwolves for seventh. Utah's remaining schedule includes games against the Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, and Phoenix Suns.
