The Jazz were without Donovan Mitchell in their Game 1 loss to the Grizzlies on Sunday, and apparently Mitchell was not happy that he had to sit.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon report that Mitchell was "incensed" that he wasn't allowed to play against Memphis, and "it deepened tensions with the team regarding his recovery from a right ankle sprain."
Mitchell had previously been optimistic that he would play in the Jazz's series opener "barring any setbacks" in his injured right ankle. Instead, Utah opted to take the cautious approach and sit him an extra game despite that he practiced three times leading up to the contest.
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While Mitchell sat out his 17th consecutive game, the top-seeded Jazz lost 112-109 at home to the eighth-seeded Grizzlies. Utah shot just 25.5 percent from beyond the arc on 47 3-point shots without Mitchell in the lineup.
Mitchell wrote that he was "sorry" and that he "wished he could say more" in a cryptic postgame tweet.
Sorry y’all... I wish I could say more.... I’ll be out there soon !❤️🙏🏾
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) May 24, 2021
Memphis and Utah don't play again until Wednesday night, so considering that Mitchell thought he was ready to go for Game 1, he should have a good chance to play in Game 2.
That said, it all will come down to what Utah's training staff says. But with the team trailing 1-0 in the series and Mitchell seemingly close to full health, the star guard should suit up as the Jazz try to even the series.
