Mitchell: ‘I Can’t Say Enough About Everyone’

HOUSTON, Texas – After the Utah Jazz were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs with a 4-1 series loss and a 100-93 defeat to the Houston Rockets in Game 5, Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell was complimentary of his teammates despite the disappointing exit from the postseason.

After the game, Mitchell was asked how proud he was of the team for the fight they put up after going down 3-0 in the series.

I can’t say enough about everyone,” Mitchell said after the game. “We were the underdogs, nothing new. I think for us, most teams when you go down 2-0 the way that we went down 2-0, most teams call it quits. We had guys from top to bottom making plays, fighting and competing. You don’t get that on every team. Being down 3-0, we came out and fought, even tonight, we have some dogs on this team,” he mentioned.

Shooting Struggles In Game 5

Mitchell had a terrific Game 4 performance on Monday in Salt Lake City with 31 points, including 19 points in the fourth quarter. But in Game 5 he struggled. The second year star had 12 points on 4-of-22 shooting from the field and 0-for-9 from the three-point line.

“I got some looks that I wanted,” he said. “Shots were going in Game 3 and 4. You don’t succeed without failure and going through times like this. I am going to be better. I wasn’t tonight but I am going to be better,” Mitchell added.

He was asked how he can improve his game and get better against some of the best defenders in the NBA. Mitchell’s answer was simple.

“Better shape, I will just leave it at that,” he said.

Hear from the @utahjazz after falling to the @HoustonRockets in the first round. https://t.co/Lq9f86OuSe

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 25, 2019

Quin Snyder

After Game 5, Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder was seen in the locker room having a conversation with Mitchell. The Jazz star didn’t go into what was said but had high praise for Snyder.

“I would rather keep that to myself and Quin,” Mitchell said. “He is a hell of a coach. One of the best coaches, if not the best coach I have ever played for. He gives everybody a fair shake and real and genuine person. He finds a way to get you going when you need it most. He does it all. A lot of you [media and fans] laughed at us in the first two games when we guarded James Harden the way we did. Most people would fold, but we stuck with it. We stuck with the game plan,” he stated.

Mitchell went on to praise his coach more at the podium.

“James Harden is one of the best players in the world,” Mitchell added. “He [Harden] didn’t have three fantastic games. That’s a prop to Quin and the coaching staff because they stuck to what they believed in. We believe in them 110 percent and it showed in the last three games. They spent hours upon hours, they are there way before us and after we leave. We had a great game plan but unfortunately, we didn’t shoot the ball well. I am really honored to play for this coaching staff,” he said.