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SALT LAKE CITY — Donovan Mitchell had clear plans for the All-Star Game in Utah.
"Honestly, like, look, I'm either going to get 40 points or shoot 40 shots tonight," Mitchell said. "I'm kind of joking, but I'm not."
He definitely wasn't joking.
Mitchell had 40 points and 10 assists as his Team Giannis' squad beat Team LeBron 184-175 Sunday at the All-Star Game at Vivint Arena.
It was an MVP-worthy performance … in most All-Star games, but not on Sunday. Mitchell, who was anything but shy about his desire to win the MVP back in the place where he played his first five seasons, was outdueled by teammate Jayson Tatum.
Tatum scored an All-Star Game record 55 points and added 10 rebounds and six assists, too. In the third quarter, he scored 27 points on seven 3-pointers, making Mitchell's own scorching third quarter (14 points on four 3s) look mild in comparison.
The two took turns taking and making long-range bombs to bring the Salt Lake City crowd to life after a pretty dull first half. With each made shot, the talk of who would win the MVP kept getting louder and louder.
"We were talking about it," Mitchell said. "It was like, 'all right, let's go get it.' At the end of the day, he caught fire. You know, it's all love.
"It's one of those things you really have to appreciate — you sit back and watch," he continued. "There was a point in time where I was, like, 'Hey, I need one assist.' That's why I handed the ball back to him, and he ended up shooting it and making it; it's all love. At the end of the day, we're competitors, too, and we wanted to both go get it, and he got it. I'm happy as hell for him."
It wasn't quite a storybook ending for Mitchell, but it was close. And it put a bow on a surreal weekend for the former Jazz star.
"Obviously, you grow up here as a player, as a person, as a man; and then to be back here as a starter, it's one of those (full-circle) things," he said. "I was a Cleveland fan growing up, so that's a full-circle moment. You have all these full-circle moments in Cleveland, and then to come back here for All-Star, it's almost like it makes sense."
It almost made sense, too, that he helped Utah's new All-Star, Lauri Markkanen — a player Mitchell was traded for over the summer — get his first points of the game when the former Jazz guard threw a half-court lob that Markkanen threw down.
It would have made sense, too, if Mitchell was the one lifting the MVP trophy up in the arena his NBA career all started. But he wasn't about to let Tatum's historic night take the shine off what was a heartwarming and rewarding weekend.
"It's truly special," he said. "I'm honored to be here, honored to be back, and the love you receive is awesome."
