With 27 points at 8/10 (including 6/7 at 3 points), Mitchell, who had not played since a shock to the head on January 17 against the Lakers, did not disappoint, and made people forget the another big absentee on the Jazz side, pivot Rudy Gobert, who is still nursing a calf injury.

"It was tough, the headaches, the nausea bothered me," Mitchell admitted of his concussion.

"It was complicated, because we went through a difficult period," he added.

The Jazz, 4th in a strong Western Conference with 32 wins and 21 losses, have won only three of their last 10 games.

The Nets 6th in the East

Opposite, still deprived of Kevin Durant and James Harden, injured, the Nets have once again disappointed, conceding a 7th loss in a row, by far the worst series in the league at the moment.

The only member of the Brooklyn Big 3 on the floor on Friday, Kyrie Irving – who only plays away games, his refusal to be vaccinated preventing him from playing in New York – scored 15 points.

Kyrie Irving during the Nets' loss to the Utah Jazz on February 4, 2022 in Salt Lake City CHRIS GARDNER GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

The Nets are now 6th in the Eastern Conference, the last place that gives direct access to the play-offs at the end of the season, with 29 wins and 23 losses.

And just behind them, the Toronto Raptors (28 v.-23 d.) recorded their 5th victory in a row, 125-114 against Atlanta, notably behind Pascal Siakam's 33 points, his best total this season. , and Fred VanVleet's 26 points and 11 assists.

Another rival of the Nets in the East, the Sixers (31 v. - 21 d.) of the candidate for the title of MVP Joel Embiid, for their part lost in Dallas (30 v. - 23 d.).

The Mavericks, trailing by 10 points at halftime, were able to count on a big game from their Slovenian star Luka Doncic, who compiled 33 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists -- the 8th triple double of his career with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists, a performance that only Oscar Robertson has surpassed by achieving a similar mark 22 times.

"I have fun on the pitch. As long as we win, I feel good. We were coming out of two terrible defeats. We raised our level, we bounced back, that's how we have to play", reacted Doncic after the meeting, completed almost 45 minutes late, a panel having had to be changed because its hoop was badly fixed.

Chicago still leading in the East

Still in the East, the Cavaliers, surprising 3rd in the conference with 32 wins and 21 losses, snatched the victory against the Hornets thanks to two free throws from Kevin Love in the last moments.

Jarrett Allen, who was not selected for the next All Star Game despite his performances, scored 29 points and grabbed 22 rebounds.

Another good performance from a pivot: that of the Montenegrin of the Bulls Nikola Vucevic, who scored 36 points, his best total of the season, and took 17 rebounds in the victory of Chicago (33 v. - 19 d.), still leader in the East, against the Indiana Pacers (122-115).

Bulls pivot Nikola Vucevic scored 36 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in Chicago's victory over the Pacers on February 4, 2022 in Indianapolis ANDY LYONS GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

In other games of the night, Boston went on to win 102-93 at the Pistons, the New Orleans Pelicans upset the Denver Nuggets of defending MVP Nikola Jokic 113-105 in Colorado, the Thunder went win 96-93 in Portland.

Finally, in a duel between two former high-ranking teams who have become poorly ranked, the Texan face-to-face between the Houston Rockets and the Spurs turned to the advantage of San Antonio, winner 131-106 at home.

© 2022 AFP