Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell put himself in elite company last night in Oklahoma City, as he eclipsed Michael Jordan's record for most points scored by a guard in his first two NBA Playoff games. With a game-high 28 points in Utah's 102-95 victory, Mitchell has now scored 55 in his first two games, which is two more than MJ had in 1985.
"There was just a point where I stopped being aggressive," Mitchell said, according to ESPN. "Big thing with Rudy [Gobert], he let me know -- I went 0-for-7 from 3, I'm letting guys off the hook. I need to keep applying pressure, getting to the rim. Even if I miss, as you saw on the boards, they were right there crashing and getting rebounds.
"Just being aggressive, getting to the rim, getting to the free throw line. I didn't have a free throw until the second half, so 'just continue to be aggressive' was my mindset."
The 20-year old rookie sensation entered the game questionable with left foot soreness, but that didn't prevent him from responding to the Thunder's 19-0 run in the third quarter. Mitchell responded by scoring 12 points during Utah's 14-3 run and he took over down the stretch as the Jazz evened up the series at 1-1.
The series, which is quickly becoming one of the most entertaining of the first round, now shifts to Salt Lake City for Games 3 & 4. Mitchell and the Jazz will host OKC on Saturday night at 10:00pm ET.
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