Donovan Mitchell exits Game 5 with hamstring injury, will undergo MRI

Donovan Mitchell exits the game in the 4th quarter with an apparent leg injury.

Utah suffered injury in addition to Monday’s 102-77 Game 5 insult, losing Donovan Mitchell to a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter. The three-time All-Star immediately grabbed his left leg upon landing after a leaping pass in traffic.

Mitchell downplayed the injury after the game, telling reporters “I’ll be fine” even as the team announced he would undergo further evaluation on Tuesday after the Jazz return to Utah.

“We’ll see how I feel, but I’m a competitor,” Mitchell said.

Donovan Mitchell (left hamstring) will be evaluated tomorrow in Salt Lake City.

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 26, 2022

Any compromising effect on Mitchell would only further hinder Utah’s chances at once again tying this series. It seemed possible the Jazz might turn things around after their one-point, Game 4 win on Saturday, decided by an alley-oop from Mitchell to Rudy Gobert.

Instead, Utah came out flat from the start on Tuesday and finished a woeful 3-for-30 from 3-point range, the worst mark by any team with at least 25 attempts in NBA postseason history.

The Jazz will attempt to stave off elimination and force a Game 7 at home on Thursday.