The Utah Jazz will begin their playoff campaign on Sunday night when they play host to the 8-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in their first round matchup. Given the way Memphis played in their play-in finale to beat the Warriors, Utah has to be expecting a stern test from Ja Morant and company, and to take Game 1, they’ll have to do play once again without one of their top stars.
Donovan Mitchell hasn’t played in Utah’s last 16 games due to a sprained ankle but had recently returned to practice in hopes of a return for the postseason. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski — and confirmed shortly after by just about every Jazz reporter — he will unfortunately not play in Game 1 against Memphis.
Utah Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell isn’t expected to play vs. Memphis in Game 1 tonight, sources tell ESPN. Mitchell has been working toward his return from a sprained right ankle.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 23, 2021
It’s obviously a blow to the Jazz, but they remain an 8-point favorite in Game 1 over the Grizzlies even in his absence. Utah went 10-6 in the 16 games Mitchell missed to close the season — which sometimes coincided with rest for their other stars — so they have experience in navigating games without him. It will put more of the creative load on Mike Conley as he faces his longtime team, and a bigger scoring burden on Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Ingles, and the presumptive Sixth Man of the Year in Jordan Clarkson. It also shifts how Memphis will deploy their best perimeter defender, as Dillon Brooks will be able to focus his attention on Clarkson and Bogdanovic, one would assume.