Every Utah Jazz fan inside Vivint Arena, everyone watching at home or anywhere else held their breath for nearly the entire 15 minutes of halftime on Tuesday night.
With just 34 seconds left in the second quarter Donovan Mitchell drove hard at Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell. Donovan was issued an offensive foul after Davion fell backwards, but before the foul call could even be made official, Donovan raced back toward the locker room through the tunnel at Vivint with no warning, hobbling on his right ankle.
Mitchell was quickly followed back into the locker room by Jazz executives who were sitting near the Jazz bench during the game. And not knowing what was going on, Jazz head coach Quin Snyder had to quickly call Jordan Clarkson up to sub into the game for the final seconds of the half.
Last season Mitchell experienced his most significant injury of his NBA career when a severe right ankle sprain kept him sidelined during the last few weeks of the season and kept him limited and in pain throughout the playoffs. When he sprinted off the floor with no warning on Tuesday night, everyone in the building was thinking about that injury and that ankle.
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell cheers with the crowd against the Sacramento Kings during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
The Utah Jazz and Sacremento Kings compete during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
The Utah Jazz and Sacremento Kings compete during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
The Utah Jazz and Sacremento Kings compete during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
The Utah Jazz and Sacremento Kings compete during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell, right, drives to score as Utah Jazz center Hassan Whiteside, back, tries to block and Jordan Clarkson (00) watches during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, right, looks to pass as Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell tries to intercept during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Utah Jazz center Hassan Whiteside (21) shoots as Sacramento Kings center Alex Len blocks during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic, center, goes for a shot past Sacramento Kings players Maurice Harkless, back, and Davion Mitchell during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes (22) dunks during the second half NBA game against Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell, center, sprints past Utah Jazz center Hassan Whiteside during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Fans cheer as Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings compete during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic, left, reaches for a shot as Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield defends during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) and Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes fight for possession during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, center, drives to score past Sacramento Kings defenders during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield reacts after scoring against Utah Jazz during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, left, looks to score past Utah Jazz’s Bojan Bogdanovic, center, and Hassan Whiteside during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell drives to score as Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert defends during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton reacts toward the referee during an NBA game against Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley (11) looks to pass past Sacramento Kings forward Maurice Harkless during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (15) goes for a 3-pointer as Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell defends during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
The Utah Jazz and Sacremento Kings compete during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder is pictured during an NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Utah Jazz dancers perform during an NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Royce O’Neale, left, goes for a 3-pointer as Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton intercepts during an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, right, and Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox embrace each other after an NBA game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell takes off his jersey for a fan after an NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley interacts with fans after an NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News
But Mitchell returned to the court for the second half of the game and was no worse for the wear, assuring reporters after the game that while he was scared at first because he felt a sudden pain in the same ankle he’d injured last season, he was certain that it was nothing serious.
“I just rolled it, a normal thing to roll your ankle,” Mitchell said. “It was just in a moment where I was frustrated getting called and felt like I got hit, felt like I rolled it again and there was so much going on and I was like ‘man this hurts’ so I just ran in the back to make sure I was ok as opposed to sitting there and doing it in front of everybody.”
While the Mitchell of years past might have given in to his initial instinct to run straight back onto the court after the pain subsided, he was more cautious and circumspect this time around.
“You have to balance adrenaline versus the seriousness of it,” he said. “Fortunately but unfortunately I’ve had experience with this ankle so I know how to separate that and know that I’m good and that I’m not just like ‘get me back out there’.”
Mitchell took some time to calm down and make sure that he wasn’t making decisions and working on pure adrenaline. After having trainers look at him and feeling things out he felt comfortable going back out on the court and didn’t feel like there was any seriousness to what had happened. Just a routine rolled ankle.
He went on to make some of the biggest plays of the game and after scoring just 14 points in the first half he finished with a season-high 36 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists.
And all of Jazz nation breathed a sigh of relief.
Donovan Mitchell bounces back from rolled ankle to score season-high 36 - Deseret News
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