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In a game the Jazz couldn’t afford to lose, midway through the first half they found themselves down by 21 points.
Whether it was a hangover from a big game against the Milwaukee Bucks, or the fact that nearly a third of the team was out with injury, the Jazz looked lethargic while the Magic were red hot.
Things were so bad in the first half that some fans even started to boo. Joe Ingles commented on it after the game.
Joe Ingles brought up the scattered boos that the team heard in the first half from the home crowd, and made this plea to the fans. pic.twitter.com/apRZwYc4I5
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) January 10, 2019
The second half was another story for Utah who came out with a renewed defensive energy and also Donovan Mitchell is a player on the team.
It started in the third quarter where the Jazz held the Magic to just 12 points while scoring 32 of their own. That started a run that never stopped till the game ended.
The NBA’s lead tracker shows just how dominant Utah’s second half was.
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Some of the notable players in the game were Raul Neto who stepped up with Ricky Rubio and Dante Exum out with injuries. Joe Ingles had a nice bounceback game from three where he shot 4/8. Rudy Gobert was his usual dominant self with 12 points, 14 rebounds and only one soul stolen at the rim.
But the biggest difference maker offensively was Donovan Mitchell who was absolutely electric.
Donovan Mitchell was fantastic tonight leading the jazz back from 21 down to beat the Magic. Here is the best ️ from his 33 point, 7 assist night. #TeamIsEverything #utahjazz #nba pic.twitter.com/TPN9waAPhd
— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) January 10, 2019
Last year the Jazz had a formula where they’d play top five defense to get the lead or keep it close until the fourth quarter. Then, about halfway through the fourth, they’d give the ball to Donovan Mitchell who would get to work.
It was good enough to propel the Jazz to the 5th seed and the second round of the playoffs.
For the first quarter of the season, it seemed like teams had found a way to take that away from the Jazz.
In the last 4-5 games, Donovan Mitchell is back to being the Sandman closer we remember. His explanation for it is pretty simple, he’s letting the game come to him.
Donovan: "Just letting it come, not overthinking it, not thinking I’ve got to pass, pass, pass, ’cause that’s when you start to think and you miss open shots, and vice versa, shot, shoot, shoot, and then you miss open passes. I’m letting it come to me, letting it be all-natural." pic.twitter.com/2NLsMSzrcU
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) January 10, 2019
Mitchell is getting better every game and seems to be past that wall that hit him this season. The sky's the limit for the Jazz if Mitchell can continue this level of play.