Mitchell leads Jazz to win over Thunder, joins elite company in process

Coming into Wednesday night's Game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, there was doubt as to whether Donovan Mitchell would even be able to play following a left foot contusion suffered in Game 1.

Play he did, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter, picking the Jazz up off the mat following a 19-0 OKC run during the third to give Utah a 102-95 win and even the series heading back to Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Mitchell finished with a game-high 28 points, six rebounds, and two assists, and converted eight of his nine free-throw attempts.

The rookie's footwork, speed, and touch were on full display in the fourth quarter, as he looked like a seasoned vet while scoring against two of the Thunder's best defenders in Steven Adams and Paul George.

The 13th pick of the 2017 draft continues to prove doubters wrong as the Jazz keep finding ways to win.

Mitchell is already sitting among some of the game's all-timers when it comes to his accomplishments this season, becoming the first rookie since David Robinson to lead a team of 45-plus wins in scoring.

With his 28 points Wednesday and 27 in Game 1, Mitchell also became the first rookie with at least 27 points in each of his first two career playoff games since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 36 and 33 points, respectively, in the first two games of his Milwaukee Bucks' series against the Billy Cunningham-led Philadelphia 76ers in 1970.

How else does Mitchell's first two postseason games stack up against some current stars' first tastes of playoff basketball?

Ben Simmons has had an outstanding first two games for the Sixers, registering 17 points and 14 assists in Philly's blowout Game 1 victory against Miami, while shouldering more of the scoring load with 24 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in the loss Monday.

Russell Westbrook - Mitchell's childhood idol - began his playoff career suffering two losses against Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol's Lakers, dropping 23 points and eight assists in Game 1, and following it up with 19-6-3 in Game 2.

Just one point shy of the stat now held by Mitchell and Abdul-Jabbar is LeBron James, as he was dominant from the get-go during his playoff debut in 2006 against the Washington Wizards. James had a game-high 32 points and 11 rebounds in a win to open the series, and put up 26 points in the Game 2 loss.

To keep up with the Thunder's three-headed monster of Westbrook, George, and Carmelo Anthony as the series progresses, Utah will need Mitchell to keep scoring, soaring, and setting records along the way.