Utah guard Donovan Mitchell scored 12 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter on Friday as the NBA-leading Jazz clinched a 115-112 victory over the Toronto Raptors. The Jazz, stung by a 131-122 loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday, bounced back as Raptors centre Pascal Siakam's potential game-tying shot dipped in then out at the buzzer. It wasn't the kind of dominance the Jazz displayed in winning 11 straight games in January and another nine in a row in February. But they gradually heated up offensively, out-rebounded the Raptors 48-31 and made 35 of 41 attempts from the free-throw line to prevail. In a fourth quarter that featured eight lead changes, Donovan made the difference, scoring eight straight points in the final minute and a half. "I forced a shot early in the game, but in the second half I was pleased with all the decisions I made," Donovan said. Jazz coach Quin Snyder thought Donovan, who added five rebounds and six assists, got it right as the Jazz became the first team this season to reach 30 victories. "Toronto's one of the best defences in the league, particularly on the ball, and I thought Donovan showed a lot of resolve," Snyder said. "There was a toughness that he had. Not only was he aggressive and forceful, he was also precise, and made really good reads." In the East, the Brooklyn Nets slipped half a game behind conference leaders Philadelphia with a 121-113 loss to the Orlando Magic. Orlando's Aaron Gordon scored 38 points and Evan Fournier chipped in 31 as the Magic fended off a late rally by Brooklyn. Orlando withstood a 43-point performance from Nets star Kyrie Irving, snapping Brooklyn's six-game winning streak while ending their own nine-game skid.
