Jazz star Donovan Mitchell helped off floor after suffering ankle sprain vs. Pacers
Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell suffered what looked like a rough ankle injury on Friday afternoon, but avoided the worst-case scenario.
Mitchell, in the third quarter of their 119-111 win over the Indiana Pacers at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, had to be helped off the court after rolling his right ankle.
"We hope that it's nothing serious, but they're in the process of doing everything they can to assess that," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said, via the Salt Lake Tribune's Eric Walden.
Donovan Mitchell helped off court early
Early in the third quarter, Mitchell jumped up to try and block a pass thrown by Pacers guard Edmond Smuner just in front of their bench. Mitchell missed the ball, and as he landed his right ankle rolled completely to the right, which sent him to the court and reaching for his ankle in pain almost instantly.
Mitchell stood up briefly on his own, but quickly stumbled and was caught by his teammates and coaches on the sideline. They then helped him limp off the court and into the locker room.
Hoping for a speedy recovery for Donovan Mitchell 🙏
(via @SportsCenter)pic.twitter.com/35GE0AZljI— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 16, 2021
Mitchell did not return, and finished the night with 22 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Donovan Mitchell avoids major injury
The team initially said that he suffered a right ankle sprain, and that his X-rays came back negative. He is set to undergo an MRI on Friday night, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Though the injury was unnerving, teammate Rudy Gobert said the mood after the game was positive.
"I saw him in the locker room, he was in great spirits, so hopefully he can be back very soon," Gobert said, via Walden.
An MRI revealed Saturday that Mitchell did not suffer any structural damage to his ankle. He's expected to miss several games.
MRI on right ankle sprain of Utah Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell revealed no structural damage, sources tell ESPN. He’s expected to miss several games before he’s cleared to return.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 17, 2021
Mitchell has averaged a career-high 26.5 points and 5.3 assists so far this season, his fourth with the Jazz. The 24-year-old was averaging 36.8 points over his last five games. He is in the final year of his initial four-year, $14.5 million deal.
The Jazz used a 10-0 run late in the fourth quarter to overcome a 17-point deficit and retake the lead over the Pacers for the first time since the opening minutes of the game, and pushed ahead to claim the eight-point win, their fourth in their past five games. Bojan Bogdanovic led Utah with 24 points while shooting 9-of-16 from the field, and Jordan Clarkson added 18 points off the bench.
Caris LeVert led the Pacers with 24 points and seven rebounds in the loss, and Domantas Sabonis finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
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