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Donovan Mitchell Suffers Ankle Injury vs. Pacers, X-Rays Reportedly Negative

Early reports suggest the former Louisville standout has avoided a significant injury.

(Photo of Donovan Mitchell: Russell Isabella-USA TODAY Sports)

SALT LAKE CITY - It was a scary sight for former Louisville standout and current Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell, as he suffered a right ankle injury in Friday's 119-111 win vs. the Indiana Pacers.

Trailing 74-65 with roughly eight and half minutes left in the third quarter, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound guard jumped in an attempt to deflect a pass from Edmond Sumner on the fastbreak, and came down awkwardly on his right leg.

A visible sprain was shown on the broadcast, and he had to be helped off the court by a pair of Jazz teammates. He was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Early indications, however, seem to suggest the fourth year player may have dodged a significant injury. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that X-Rays came back negative with an MRI coming later Friday night, and that there is "early optimism" it isn't a major injury.

Heading into the matchup with the Pacers, the Greenwich, Conn. native was averaging 26.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 38.5% on three-point attempts - all of which are good for career-highs. He is in the midst of his second-consecutive All-Star season, and has led the Jazz to an NBA-best 42-14 record.

Mitchell has quickly ascended to superstardom over the last couple seasons, and continues to add milestones to his young NBA career. He became the fastest player to hit 600 career three-pointers earlier this season, and became the third-fastest active NBA player to score 5,000 career points last season, trailing only LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

He was drafted with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Nuggets, only to be traded to the Jazz on draft night. As a sophomore at Louisville, Mitchell averaged 15.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists en route to being named a 2016-17 First Team All-ACC selection.

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