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SALT LAKE CITY — On Thursday night, Donovan Mitchell was doing the same thing as millions of other basketball fans: basking in the shot-making display between Purdue and Tennessee in the NCAA tournament.
But while he tweeted about Ryan Cline going crazy, Mitchell likely had an eye on another game: Sacramento vs. New Orleans.
And the result of that game made it official: the Jazz’s season will continue past April 10.
With the Pelicans’ 121-118 victory over the Kings on Thursday, the Jazz have officially clinched a spot in the 2019 NBA Playoffs.
With seven games remaining in the regular season, Five Thirty-Eight and ESPN’s Basketball Power Index both have the Jazz projected to finish at 50-32 and with the fifth-best record in the West.
It’s the third straight season Utah has made the postseason — the Jazz have advanced to the second round each of the past two seasons.
But Mitchell has already made it clear that he plans on playing longer than that — much longer.
While speaking at the dedication of the newly named Donovan Mitchell Bridge at The Gateway on Tuesday, the young Jazz star mentioned the team's upcoming playoff run.
“It's going to be a fun two months,” he said.
Mitchell then paused and corrected himself.
“Three months,” he said. “We are playing into June.”
The NBA playoffs begin April 13. Single-game tickets for all first-round home games will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, April 2 at 10 a.m.
