Report: Donovan Mitchell avoids hamstring injury, could play in Game 6 vs. Mavs
We've got an update on Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell's hamstring injury, and here's the good news for Jazz fans: It's not soul-crushing.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, an MRI on Mitchell's hamstring was negative, though he's still a bit banged up. However, "there remains optimism" that he'll be able to play on Thursday.
ESPN Sources: The MRI on the left hamstring of Jazz star Donovan Mitchell was negative today, but Mitchell is dealing with bruising in both of his quads. There remains optimism for his availability vs. Dallas in Game 6 on Thursday. The Mavericks lead the series, 3-2.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 26, 2022
Mitchell's hamstring tightened up during Game 5 against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. He exited the game with 4:41 remaining in the 4th quarter. But Mitchell leaving the game didn't impact the outcome whatsoever. The Jazz got blown out by the Mavs 102-77, and Utah was down by 28 when he got injured.
That loss to the Mavericks put the Jazz in a 3-2 series hole, and they'll face elimination in Game 6 on Thursday. So it's very good news for the Jazz that Mitchell's injury isn't severe enough to rule him out, though the bruising to his quads is concerning. It's possible it affected him in Game 5, which was far from his best performance. He went 4-for-15 from the floor for nine points. He played 32 minutes, during which the Mavs outscored the Jazz by 38 points.
According to Wojnarowski, Mitchell will continue to receive treatment until Thursday's elimination game, which starts at 10 p.m. ET.