West Conf. Semis - Game 5: Utah Jazz 102-112 Houston Rockets - 5 Talking Points

#2 Donovan Mitchell's valiant efforts ended tragically

Donovan Mitchell

Through the first half of the game, Mitchell was in ice-cold shooting touch. He looked mainly to be a playmaker for the rest of his team, and he was being defended excellently by the Rockets' wing players - particularly Trevor Ariza. At the break, Mitchell was 1-for-6 from the field and had no free throw attempts.

It is probable that Quin Snyder gave him an earful and goaded him into action in the 3rd quarter, as the rookie went ballistic in the 3rd quarter. SpidaMitchell scored 22 points in the 3rd quarter, and even nailed a DEEP 3-pointer.

His driving game, stale and predictable in the first couple of quarters, turned into an unguardable weapon in the 3rd quarter as he finished a number of how-did-he-do-that layups with amazing alacrity to power the Jazz to a 3-point lead heading into the 4th quarter.

It was a pitiful sight to see the rookie having to go off after taking a hit to his knee from James Harden late in the 4th quarter. He deserved to have a go at the Rockets at the fag end of an elimination game and reinforce his credentials as a clutch player, and the enduring image that most neutral fans will take from this game is Ricky Rubio attempting to console him as he sat teary-eyed on the bench as the game clock winded down.