First-round pick Donovan Mitchell’s 23 points spearheaded an impressive offensive effort from the Utah Jazz during their 87-74 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the Utah Summer League opener for both teams on Monday night at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Center.
Both teams boasted multiple players with notable NBA experience, but it was Utah’s top pick in last month’s draft that stood out above the rest. The Jazz (1-0) opened up a 26-19 lead after the first 10 minutes and held a 45-37 edge at halftime. They kept their foot on the gas in the second half, outscoring the Spurs (0-1) by a 42-37 margin to secure the double-digit win. San Antonio actually had more double-digit scorers (four) than Utah (three), but they were outshot 47.9 percent to 30.3 percent from the field. Meanwhile, the rebounding battle was a dead heat, with the Spurs just edging the Jazz by a 44-42 margin.
Mitchell added five assists, two rebounds and three steals to his game-high scoring haul. Dante Exum, a 2014 first-round pick who the Jazz expect big things from this summer, provided 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and one block. Devondrick Walker followed with 12 points, while Utah’s second first-round pick, Tony Bradley, supplied eight points, five boards and two blocks. JP Tokoto and Julian Wright turned in matching six-point efforts, with the latter notably pulling down eight boards as well.
The Spurs were led by Derrick White’s 13 points, which he supplemented with three dimes and two rebounds. Bryn Forbes and Davis Bertans, who played in 67 games and saw six starts last season, posted matching 12-point tallies. Forbes added three rebounds and an assist while Bertans provided three rebounds. Livio Jean-Charles posted 10 points, five rebounds and a steal. Shayne Whittington and 2016 first-round pick Dejounte Murray supplied six points apiece, with the former also registering five rebounds, two blocks and a steal and the latter tallying five assists and three steals.
The Jazz and Spurs both return to action on Wednesday, with Utah facing off with the Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio tangling with the Boston Celtics.
