Utah Jazz celebrity Donovan Mitchell needed to be helped off the floor and into the locker room by teammates during the third quarter of Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers due to a right ankle injury. He didn’t return.
X-rays were negative about Mitchell’s ankle, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Resources told Wojnarowski Mitchell includes a low ankle sprain, and there’s early optimism it is not a significant injury. Mitchell will receive an MRI later Friday, with additional treatment and evaluation to follow.
“Obviously we hope that it’s not anything serious,” coach Quin Snyder said,”but they are in the process of doing everything they can do to assess that.”
The injury happened with 8:20 left in the quarter. Mitchell jumped to attempt to deflect a long outlet pass and came down with his foot underneath Pacers shield Edmond Sumner. Mitchell instantly grabbed his lower leg pain and needed help getting to the locker area, together with teammate Royce O’Neale and a coach supporting him since Mitchell fought to put weight on his leg.
Mitchell left with 22 points in 21 minutes against the Pacers. The All-Star guard has been on an offensive tear in the previous month, averaging 31.0 points per game in April with scoring outbursts not completed in a Jazz uniform since Karl Malone. Mitchell had a four-game streak of scoring at 35, with 40 in 3 of those four games. He is the latest MVP candidate to go down with an injury, possibly reshaping the race once more.
Behind a monster two second half from Rudy Gobert (13 points, 23 rebounds and four blocks), the Jazz overcame Mitchell’s harm to beat the Pacers, 119-111.
Mitchell, 24, is averaging career highs virtually across the board in his fourth season with 26.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists for the first-place Jazz.
