Sports

Without injured Donovan Mitchell, Jazz rally to beat Pacers 119-111

Published

3 years ago

April 17, 2021

SALT LAKE CITY — Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points before leaving the game with a sprained ankle in the third quarter, and the NBA-leading Utah Jazz beat the Indiana Pacers 119-111 on Friday.

Bojan Bogdanovic had 24 points and Rudy Gobert added 13 points, 23 rebounds and four blocks for the Jazz. Jordan Clarkson chipped in 18 points off the bench while Mike Conley had 10 points and 10 assists. Utah won its second straight game.

Mitchell went to the locker room after suffering a right ankle sprain with 8:18 left in the third quarter. He could not put any weight on his leg and had to be helped off the floor by teammates.

Domantas Sabonis had 22 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists for the Pacers. Caris LeVert scored 24 points and Malcolm Brogdon added 16. Indiana led by as many as 17 points in the first half but lost for the second time in its last six games.

In Mitchell’s absence, the Jazz erased a double-digit deficit and tied the game at 89 heading into the fourth quarter on back-to-back baskets from Clarkson.

Utah overtook Indiana for good with a 10-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back baskets from Bogdanovic, to take a 108-99 lead. Utah held Indiana scoreless on eight straight possessions over 4 1/2 minutes during the decisive burst.

The Pacers led 53-36 midway through the second quarter when Goga Bitadze capped a 9-0 spurt with a dunk.

Utah cut the deficit to 63-56 in the final minute before halftime on a layup from Mitchell. But the Jazz then gave up two 3-pointers in the final 4.7 seconds of the half. Brogdon drained one, and then LeVert stole an inbounds pass from Royce O’Neale and sank an uncontested corner 3 before the buzzer.

TIP-INS

Pacers: Doug McDermott missed his second straight game and Myles Turner missed his sixth in a row. Both players are recovering from left ankle sprains. … Indiana outscored Utah 12-0 in fast-break points during the first quarter. … The Pacers gave up only three points off 10 turnovers.

Jazz: Derrick Favors sat out with left knee soreness. … Utah made seven 3-pointers in the third quarter after making six total in the first half. … Gobert had his fifth game this season with at least 20 rebounds.

UP NEXT

Pacers: Visit the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.

Jazz: Visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.