Donovan Mitchell scores career-high 57 points in Game 1 vs. Nuggets

The 2020 NBA Playoffs have only just begun, but former Louisville men's basketball star Donovan Mitchell is already scorching hot for his Utah Jazz.
Kicking off the opening round best-of-seven series against the Denver Nuggets down in the NBA's "bubble" in Orlando, Fla., the shooting guard exploded for a career-high 57 points in the Jazz's 135-127 overtime loss.
Mitchell went 19-33 from the floor with six three-pointers while making all thirteen of his free throw attempts to easily surpass his previous NBA best of 46 points, which he had done on three previous occasions.
The Greenwich, CT native also came close to achieving a triple-double, as he also nine rebounds and seven assists. He now owns five the six high-scoring games by a former Cardinal in the NBA Playoffs.
While his team took the loss, the 2016-17 First Team All-ACC selection was instrumental in forcing overtime and nearly pulling off the upset victory. He scored the final 19 regulation points for the sixth-seeded Jazz, only for Jamal Murray and the third-seeded Nuggets to take over in the extra period.
Mitchell's performance not only set a Jazz record for most points in a playoff game, but it also put him in rarified air. He is the youngest player to score 50+ in a playoff game since Michael Jordan's 63 vs. the Celtics in 1986, and it was the third-highest playoff scoring game behind MJ's 63 and Elgin Baylor's 61 in the 1962 NBA Finals also against the Celtics.
Mitchell and the Jazz will be back in action on Wednesday, August 19 for Game 2 of their series against the Nuggets. Tip-off is set for 4:00pm EST on TNT.
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McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic