Is Donovan Mitchell's ankle a cause for concern for Utah Jazz?
1 hour ago share facebook twitter reddit link  Much has been made about the versatility of the Utah Jazz  about how they are selfless and can beat you in a number of different ways. And thats true. But dont let that fool you into thinking that the Jazz dont rely greatly on one player more than any other to make them go  Donovan Mitchell. And it's Mitchell who might be giving the Jazz cause for concern after Saturday night's Game 3 loss to the LA Clippers. The reasons for that concern center around something far more important than the 132-106 final score  they center around Mitchell's right ankle. Mitchell had another big scoring night for Utah on Saturday night, topping the 30-point mark for the fifth straight game. But he also appeared to be less than his usually explosive, transcendent self. He started slowly, missing his first four shots  including a pair of drives to the basket  and didnt make his first bucket until there was 7:34 left in the second quarter. It was the first time in his last 23 games that Mitchell had gone scoreless in the first quarter, and the first time hed gone scoreless in any playoff quarter since 2019. For more up-to-date news on all things Jazz, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app! He ended up making only 11 of his 24 field goal attempts and three of his five free throws. And then, in the fourth quarter, just as the Clippers were beginning to pull away to an easy victory, Mitchell limped off to the locker room after appearing to tweak that right ankle. Utah coach Quin Snyder said after the game that his star was fine, and the guard remained out merely because the game was out of hand. Mitchell, who did return to the bench to watch, echoed that statement. "Im good," he said. "Thats all Ive got for you. Im good. It happened. The situation happened. I feel like I was able to go back, but no need to risk it down 16, 18 at that point." When asked about what happened on the play in which he tweaked his ankle, Mitchell remained cagey. "Its when I land. Its been  just trying to manage it," he said with a laugh. "I dont know what else to tell you, I dont want to say too much. It was just the landing. Im good, Ill be ready for Game 4." The ankle has been an issue for Mitchell through much of the season. He missed the final 16 games of the regular season and Game 1 of Utahs first-round series against Memphis while recovering from an ankle sprain. Then, in the closing seconds of a Game 2 victory over the Clippers in Salt Lake City, Mitchell appeared to re-injure the joint in a bizarre collision with LAs Paul George. For more up-to-date news on all things Clippers, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app! Mitchell downplayed the incident after the game, saying "I think the biggest thing is just, you know, (stuff) happens. Im thankful it wasnt bad. Move on and get ready for Game 3." But Mitchell was not his usual self in Game 3, and now that the Clippers have pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series  and with Game 4 coming in Los Angeles on Monday  you have to imagine that the Jazz will be closely monitoring the ankle of their 24-year-old star. As balanced as the Jazz are, no player is more crucial to their playoff hopes than Mitchell, their 6-1 All-Star who averaged 26.4 PPG in the regular season. If Mitchell isnt himself, the Jazz could find the going difficult against George, Kawhi Leonard and a Clippers team that has found new life. For more up-to-date news on all things NBA, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app! Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more.