Nuggets' playoff seed still up in the air after wild Tuesday evening

Donovan Mitchell always seems to get up for games against the Nuggets.

In Mitchell’s last two dates with Denver prior to tonight, he went for 35 points and then went for 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He was even better tonight.

Mitchell scored 46 points, tying a career high, as the Jazz topped the Nuggets 118-108, beating Denver for the third-straight time this season.

For the second-straight game against Rudy Gobert and the Jazz, Nikola Jokic struggled. Denver’s All-Star center finished with just two points on 1-6 shooting to go with five rebounds and two assists. Jokic also recorded one steal and one block but fouled out in just 16 minutes.

Jokic never got into a rhythm in Utah. He struggled with Utah’s length inside as the Jazz threw Gobert and Favors at Denver’s big man all night long. Jokic picked up his sixth foul at the 8:12 mark of the fourth quarter and went to the bench, taking whatever hopes the Nuggets had of evening the season series against the Jazz with him.

The loss was almost costly for Denver. Thanks to a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback from the Oklahoma City Thunder, who beat the Houston Rockets Tuesday evening around 30 minutes after Denver’s loss in Utah, the Nuggets still have a shot at the two seed in the West. Denver can clinch the second spot with a win at home against Minnesota on Wednesday on the final night of the regular season.

Jamal Murray did his best to match Mitchell’s career night, scoring 22 points in the loss. Malik Beasley gave the Nuggets some nice firepower off the bench, chipping in 25 points. He went 5-6 from distance. Monte Morris scored a career-high 22 points on 8-13 shooting.

Mason Plumlee filled in admirably for Jokic, chipping in 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

The first round of the playoffs begins Saturday.