Grizzlies dissected by Jazz, Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell had his way picking apart the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday and he didn't waste time doing it again Saturday.
Mitchell drained a 29-foot 3-pointer just before halftime to cap a 28-point first half. Whether it was Dillon Brooks, Ja Morant or Kyle Anderson, nobody slowed down the Utah Jazz All-star guard.
Morant briefly stole the show with a one-handed alley-oop dunk in the third quarter but the Jazz and Mitchell had control of the game, winning 126-110 in Salt Like City.
Grizzlies caught in Mitchell's "Spida" web"
Mitchell's nickname is "Spida" and like his namesake, he was a nuisance. Whether it was drives, 3-pointers or finding open teammates. he took charge from the jump and didn't stop.
The Grizzlies (21-22) led 8-2 to start and Mitchell responded with 13 quick points. He finished with 35 points in three quarters and added seven assists.
It matched his total from Friday's 117114 win over the Grizzlies as the Jazz (3411) improved to a league-best 19-2 at home.
Morant had impressive dunk, but had 12 points
Morant's dunk was his only big moment as the Jazz kept him away from the rim. Instead of driving, Morant saw the Jazz meet him atop the key and cut off his driving lanes.
The Grizzlies, as a whole, couldn't find clean looks. The Jazz had eight blocks, the Grizzlies shot 40.2% from the field and 15 turnovers made sure there was no repeat second half rally like on Friday.
Thanks to Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson, the Grizzlies trailed at halftime for the eighth consecutive game. Clarkson, one of the leaders for Sixth Man of the Year, scored 20 of his 28 points by halftime as the Jazz led 70-53.
Morant finished with 12 points, well down from his 32 points a day earlier. Kyle Anderson led the Grizzlies with 16 points while Dillon Brooks and Jonas Valanciunas had 13 each.
Jontay Porter scores first NBA points
With the game well in hand, Jontay Porter scored his first NBA basket on a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. He finished with five points.
It was another step in his long road to the NBA. Porter, who signed a threeyear contract in November, sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee as a freshman at Missouri in 2018 and again in 2019, went undrafted and started the season in the G-league.
As for the game, it was expected the Grizzlies would struggle against the Jazz, who have the NBA'S best record. The best they could hope for was a split but it didn't happen because the Jazz came out punching and the Grizzlies did not with two poor first halves.
Up Next
The Grizzlies wrap up their fourgame road trip at Houston on Monday (7 p.m., Fox Sports Southeast). In their last meeting, the Grizzlies won by a franchise record 49 points as their bench (85 points) outscored the Rockets (83 points).
The Rockets have lost 22 of the last 24 games since beating the Grizzlies on Feb. 4. That includes a 20-game losing streak.