Things are not going the Utah Jazz's way in the second round. The Houston Rockets have powered to a 3-1 series lead, and the series could come to a close Tuesday night.
After a 100-87 loss Sunday, Jazz rookie star Donovan Mitchell let his frustration get the best of him. Immediately after leaving the court, he called out MVP favorite James Harden in the tunnel.
"If that's what he needs to win fucking MVP, fuck it," Mitchell said, alluding to Harden's propensity for drawing fouls.
Speaking with reporters after Tuesday's shootaround, Mitchell expressed regret for his statement.
"Obviously he's the MVP. There's no doubt about that," Mitchell said. "I'm pretty sure we've all said things in the heat of the moment when you get upset. It was more so just about myself. You try so hard to fight back and what we did. I'm definitely upset that it came out that way, but you can't do anything about it. I understand that there are cameras everywhere. I'm getting used to that. But like I said, he is the MVP and rightfully so."
A Salt Lake City TV reporter posted video of Mitchell's tirade and it went viral. Mitchell also confirmed his frustration stemmed from officials granting foul calls to Harden, but said he's moved on.
"I'm really focused on just going out here and seeing what we can do for Game 5 and not really complaining about the calls," Mitchell said. "That's not who I am."
Game 5 is set for 8 p.m. EST in Houston.
