SALT LAKE CITY — Donovan Mitchell stood at the podium, his voice catching, eyes glassy under the arena lights. On April 16, the Utah Jazz guard described the team’s nail-biter against the Denver Nuggets as “emotional as hell.” The 117-113 overtime win, sealed by Mitchell’s clutch three-pointer with 8.2 seconds left, wasn’t just another game. It was a gut-punch reminder of why he plays.
The Delta Center roared as the final buzzer sounded, fans on their feet, some wiping away tears of their own. Mitchell, who dropped 38 points and nine assists, called it a night that “hit different.” He pointed to the crowd, the teammates who’d battled through injuries, and the memory of last season’s playoff collapse that still stings. “We poured everything out there,” he said, his usual swagger softened by raw feeling.
The game was a slog from the tip. Denver’s Nikola Jokić, a towering force, carved up the Jazz defense with 30 points and 12 rebounds. Utah trailed by 12 in the third, but Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson, who chipped in 22 off the bench, clawed back. A controversial no-call on a Jokić elbow to Rudy Gobert’s face late in regulation had the crowd howling, but Gobert, bloodied and unbowed, sank two free throws to force OT.
Mitchell’s postgame words carried weight. He spoke of teammates like Mike Conley, who played through a tweaked hamstring, and the training staff working overtime to keep the roster upright. “This one’s for them,” he said, voice cracking again. The win moved Utah to 48-30, locking them into the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference with four games left.
Denver’s coach, Michael Malone, tipped his cap. “Mitchell’s a killer,” he said in a clipped presser, before praising his own squad’s fight despite missing Jamal Murray to a knee issue. The Nuggets, now 45-33, face a tougher road to avoid the play-in.
Back in the Jazz locker room, Mitchell lingered, still in his sweat-soaked jersey. He talked about his mom, watching from Cleveland, texting him “you made me cry” after the game-winner. For a kid from New York who grew up idolizing Kobe, nights like these are why he grinds. “This game tests you,” he said. “It breaks you down, then builds you back.”
The Jazz face the Portland Trail Blazers next on April 19. Mitchell, still chasing his first All-NBA nod, didn’t mention it. He didn’t need to. His game spoke loud enough.