Donovan Mitchell powers Jazz past Bulls with monster 3rd quarter

It was hard to not predict the end of this game. This entire season 4th quarters for the Utah Jazz have been a disaster. In come the Chicago Bulls and DeMar Derozan. DeRozan has been elite in the 4th quarter this year and is a sniper from the midrange. It’s the stuff of nightmares for Jazz fans.

Donovan Mitchell said, “No!”

In the 3rd quarter, Mitchell had 25 points with 7 three-pointers. That’s some determination over negativity if you ask me! For the night Mitchell had 37 points shooting 12/22 from the field and 9/15 from three, with 5 assists. Oh and a Jazz win over the Bulls, 125-110.

It’s a nice win for the Jazz who are in need of some signature performances. Another performance that should make Jazz fans happy was the second game in a row from Mike Conley looking like Mike Conley. For the night Conley was just 4/11 from the field but was 3/5 from three. It amounts to a night where Conley had 14 points and 7 assists. It’s clear that Conley needs to do some more adjusting to his game because the 2-point shot just isn't there for him. But when he’s hitting the three and assisting the ball, he provides a lot of value while he’s on the floor. Can he keep up the elite 3-point shooting? If he can, it helps the Jazz offense stay elite, and maybe just good enough to make some notice in the playoffs.

Probably the most surprising performance tonight came from Nickeil Alexander-Walker who played 22:19 minutes and scored 16 points while going 4/8 from the field and 3/5 from three. It’s easily been his best game while on the floor. But it was more than just the efficient shooting, NAW provides an element of length, athleticism, and youth the Jazz have lacked all season. Speaking of NAW, it’s time to give Danny Ainge, Justin Zanik and the Jazz front office some props for what they’ve done the last few months. The Jazz had zero assets to use outside of their current rotation, and even those assets likely don’t have the value Jazz fans think. What did they do? They brought in NAW and Danuel House, which provides the length, athleticism, and youth on the perimeter that the Jazz have been desperate for. And it cost them literally nothing. Pretty good if you ask me.

All in all, it was a good night for the Jazz who have to build on this as they head towards the playoffs.