Mitchell's career evening boosts Jazz's 17-point rally

SALT LAKE CITY – Donovan Mitchell was not sure of an evening featuring a career-high, a win over the top-ranked team in the league and a Gatorade shower equivalent to the best game of his career .

On Saturday night, the second-year guard finished with 46 points, including two-to-three points and two free-throws late in the fourth quarter that consolidated Utah Jazz's win over the 115-111 on the Milwaukee Bucks. .

Mitchell is the first jazz player to have played in a regular season game with 45 points since Karl Malone in 1998.

Still, Mitchell was not sure. It was certainly not the best game of his career, he said. He could think of more powerful performances than in the playoffs of last season.

But in the regular season?

"In the regular season, I would say yes," Mitchell said.

The game did not start well for Utah.

With Malcolm Brogdon, Eric Bledsoe, Sterling Brown and George Hill are fighting for the Bucks with a myriad of ailments and injuries, coach Mike Budenholzer has unveiled one of the biggest queues of this millennium. According to the ESPN Stats & Information research, the Budenholzer team of four players measuring less than 6 feet 10 inches was the highest starting lineup since 2003.

"It has thrown me into the water," Mitchell said of the "MegaBucks". "I think it hurt us a lot."

The discombobulation described by Mitchell is part of what allowed the Bucks to open the match 11-0. Rudy Gobert, the new look of the Bucks brand, has taken the win with the worst-plus-minus (-36) since the NBA started following plus-minus 20 years ago.

"I just got beaten up," Gobert said with a shrug after the game.

After accumulating a 20-6 lead in the first quarter, Milwaukee began to spit, hanging tightly in advance at the end of the first quarter.

The Bucks were able to regain control of the game and their seven point lead at halftime was increased to 17 points just under 10 minutes from the end. When they arrived in the Saturday night game, the teams that finished 17th in the fourth quarter this season were 3-400.

"Then we came back with our own push," Mitchell said. "We realized that they were 6 feet 10 inches, but they can not run.They have gained height, but we can distance them.I think that's really what made us move forward. . "

From that moment until the last ring, Mitchell scored more goals on the field by himself (7 out of 10) than Team Bucks (6 to 20). The Jazz then beat the Bucks 42-21 in the 9:39 final and Mitchell finished with 19 points for the fourth quarter.

"Donovan was special today," Kyle Korver said. "He hit incredible shots, clutch shots, hard shots."

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 43 points and 14 rebounds for the second consecutive night.

It may not have been the most dominant game in Mitchell's career, but he is certain of one thing: "I'm trying to frame the ball."