/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70491905/merlin_2907692.0.jpg)
It has been virtually precisely 14 years because the Utah Jazz had a participant notch a triple-double throughout an everyday season recreation — the longest triple-double drought within the NBA.
On Wednesday night time, Donovan Mitchell was set as much as break the triple-double skid and develop into the primary Jazz participant since Carlos Boozer, on Feb. 13, 2008, to place up a triple-double throughout an everyday season contest. However Mitchell got here up simply two assists shy, and so the drought lives on.
Mitchell racked up 5 factors, seven rebounds and 7 assists by halftime towards the Golden State Warriors, so it appeared like it might be a breeze for him to get 5, three and three within the second half.
The factors weren’t an issue — Mitchell completed with 14. The rebounds weren’t an issue — Mitchell completed with 10. However, he solely managed a single help within the second half, although it wasn’t for an absence of attempting.
It was clear in Mitchell’s closing minutes on the court docket that he was looking assists, however it was his teammates who let him down. I informed Mitchell that I used to be rewatching the movie and that he had three probabilities to get an help within the third quarter alone that went unfulfilled.
“Inform me who so I can get on them,” Mitchell mentioned with amusing.
In the long run, Mitchell had six missed alternatives within the second half to get his closing two assists wanted. The culprits included missed photographs by Royce O’Neale, Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson, and handed up open appears to be like from O’Neale and Clarkson.
One other reporter informed Mitchell that he waited too late to start out looking for out the assists and Mitchell quipped that he had to verify the sport was out of attain for the Warriors earlier than he targeted on the triple-double. In opposition to a group with Stephen Curry, virtually no lead is untouchable.
What was possibly much more spectacular and inconceivable was that Mitchell wasn’t the one one on a triple-double watch. Hassan Whiteside went into halftime with six blocks, 5 rebounds and 5 factors. After 14 years of normal season video games sans a triple-double, it regarded just like the Jazz might come away with two in a single night time. However alas, Whiteside additionally got here up quick, ending with seven blocks, 9 factors and 17 rebounds.
“The upper the block (numbers) get, the tougher each will get,” Whiteside mentioned. “They have been attacking me much more at first of the sport.”
The span because the Jazz’s final triple-double is longer than the age Mitchell was when Boozer racked up his triple-double towards a Seattle SuperSonics group that featured a rookie Kevin Durant. Mitchell was solely 11 years previous.
And so, the Jazz’s common season triple-double drought lives on.