Cavaliers vs. Jazz Tuesday NBA odds, props: Donovan Mitchell set at 28.5 points in return to Utah
Former Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell returns to Utah tonight with Cleveland.
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Donovan Mitchell wasn't the best player in Utah Jazz history, but he undoubtedly made his mark -- his 23.9 points-per-game average is No. 5 all-time in team history. The three-time All-Star was traded to Cleveland this summer in a blockbuster and returns to Salt Lake City tonight for the first time as a Cavalier in what surely will be a bit of a personal game for Mitchell. He's set at over-under 28.5 points at Caesars Sportsbook and the Cavs are 3-point favorites.
Mitchell led the Jazz to the playoffs in each of his five seasons, finishing with the West's best record twice. He ranks in the top 10 in in franchise history in points, field goals and three-pointers.
He became available in trade talks after the Jazz moved All-Star center Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in July. It was widely expected that Mitchell would be dealt to the Knicks because of his New York ties (his father works for the Mets). Mitchell wanted to play there and the Knicks had a ton of first-round picks to offer Utah as the Jazz kick-started a rebuild.
When New York wouldn't meet Utah's price, the Cavaliers swooped in and sent forward Lauri Markkanen, rookie wing Ochai Agbaji, guard Collin Sexton, three unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027 and 2029) and two pick swaps (2026 and 2028) for Mitchell.
So far so good, as Cleveland is a legit Eastern Conference contender at 26-15, and Mitchell is averaging career highs in points (28.8 per game), field-goal percentage (.488), three-point field-goal percentage (.388) and free-throw percentage (.874). He had a franchise-record 71-point game on Jan. 2 vs. Chicago.
One could argue both teams won this trade because the Jazz got all those future picks and Markkanen has had a breakout season, averaging 24.5 points and 8.3 rebounds, both team highs. Sexton is averaging 14.1 points but will miss tonight's game with an injury, as will Kelly Olynyk (12.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG) and reserve Talen Horton-Tucker (6.8 PPG). Agbaji, the 2022 Final Four Most Outstanding Player for national champion Kansas, doesn't play much for Utah but might get more minutes tonight with the injuries.
It will be interesting to see the reaction Mitchell gets. It was no secret that Mitchell was not happy in Utah and would have left in free agency had the Jazz not traded him and allowed him to play out his current contract. Mitchell also recently made some inflammatory comments about the city and fan base.
"I don't know. We did a lot of great things there. We did not accomplish our main goal. I don't know what the response is going to be, and I am hopeful there will be cheers," Mitchell said earlier this week of his return. "I had a lot of positives despite not winning a championship. That is not easy and only one team does it."
Cleveland is looking for the season sweep of Utah. It routed the visiting Jazz 122-99 on Dec. 19. Mitchell played only 23 minutes in the game and scored 23 points. Mitchell said he was flooded with emotions going against the team that drafted him: "It was weird. But it was fun."
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