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LOS ANGELES — It wasn't Donovan Mitchell's kind of game.
"In games like this, guys are trying to score 40. I'm not one of those guys," Mitchell said. Mitchell, with two 40-point performances this season, prefers to save that for the real contests.
Nevertheless, it was a well-rounded performance in the Rising Stars game for the Utah Jazz rookie, even as his Team USA lost to Team World 155-124. Mitchell finished with seven points, seven assists, and five steals. It's that last number that he's most proud of.
"I got five steals. I was pretty proud about that," Mitchell remembered. "I snuck that last one in, I knew I had four. I did everything else but score."
And while Mitchell's performance didn't stand out when looking at the box score, he did find himself in two plays that the game will be remembered for. The first came early. Mitchell anticipated the Team World pass, went down the court, and threw this assist to himself off the backboard before cocking back for the slam.
🚨🚨🚨 NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE 🚨🚨🚨#KickstartRisingStars#NBAAllStarpic.twitter.com/DHMMnsqgsj — Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 17, 2018
The dunk was an appetizer for his Slam Dunk Contest appearance coming up on Saturday night, and made it clear that he belongs in the event despite being an injury substitution for Aaron Gordon.
Mitchell's favorite play, though, came at the end of the game, when he stole the inbounds pass and flipped up this alley-oop facing away from the basket. The pass, despite the difficulty, was right on the money.
John Collins! 👀#KickstartRisingStarspic.twitter.com/rwgp8gujno — NBA (@NBA) February 17, 2018
"That's my guy, John (Collins)," Mitchell said. "I missed him earlier in the game but I'm glad I got him on that last one."
But Mitchell wasn't the star of the night. That honor goes to Team World's Bogdan Bogdanovic, of the Sacramento Kings, who finished with 26 points, mostly by shooting seven of 13 from the 3-point line. Bogdanovic's shooting was enough to earn him the MVP of the game.
Team World's win came as a delight to Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles.
Yes, it wasn't just his Team USA teammates Mitchell assisted, it was his Jazz' lineup cohorts as well.
"We gave them the game because Rudy and Joe wanted it," Mitchell joked. "Just helping them out."
