Mitchell takes blame for late miscue: 'That's terrible on my part'

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell had a game to remember, scoring a career-high 57 points in his club's 135-125 Game 1 overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets.

However, none of that was on Mitchell's mind postgame as he criticized a crucial 8-second violation he committed within the final two minutes of regulation play.

"That's my fault as a leader and as a point guard at that time," Mitchell said, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "That's terrible on my part.

"I kind of put that ... there's really no one else to put it on. I was just taking my time walking it up, and I've got to be more aware. I think that was a crucial part of the game. At the end of the day, I'm not going to put it all on that one play, but that was a crucial part."

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray responded with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to cut Utah's lead to one point with 1:39 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Canadian carried that momentum into the extra frame, scoring 10 of his playoff career-high 36 points in overtime.

"Obviously it's a tough one to lose like this in overtime," Mitchell said. "But there's going to be a bunch more, and I think guys, including myself, are ready.

"We executed a lot of things right. We've just got to go back to the drawing board, and be ready."

Mitchell's offensive explosion put him alongside elite company. Only Michael Jordan and Elgin Baylor have scored more points in a single NBA playoff game. His total output also surpassed Jazz legend Karl Malone's franchise mark of 50.

Mitchell went a perfect 13-of-13 from the charity stripe and added nine boards and seven assists to complete his stellar performance.