Ajay Mitchell scored 24 points and handed out 10 assists without a turnover Saturday night, leading the Thunder past the Los Angeles Lakers 131-108 and into a 3-0 lead in their second-round series. It was the clearest sign yet that Oklahoma City’s injury-depleted rotation still has another gear.
Mitchell’s night was more than a box-score oddity. He became the first player in the Thunder’s OKC era to post at least 20 points, at least 10 assists and no turnovers in a playoff game, and he did it while the Thunder stayed unbeaten in the postseason after Game 3. With Jalen Williams sidelined by injury, Mitchell stepped into a larger role and delivered career playoff highs across the board.
That performance fit the way the game unfolded. Mitchell scored 18 points and had seven assists in the second half alone, helping power a 21-6 run out of halftime that broke the Lakers’ resistance and turned a tight game into a rout. Against Los Angeles in the series, he has averaged 20.7 points per game while shooting 53.3% and committing only three total turnovers, with 20 assists.
The 5-for-20 start he endured in his first game after Williams went down in Game 2 of the first round against Phoenix now looks like a brief adjustment rather than a warning sign. Mitchell moved into the starting lineup for Game 3 after that injury and has settled in as the stakes have risen. He said he knows what he can do, wants to compete, help the team win and play freely. He added that every time he steps on the court, he wants to be a winning player and help his team.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has seen the evolution up close, said Mitchell was never shaken by the moment and called him a gamer. He said the Thunder knew who Mitchell was the day he arrived and that he is now showing it to the world. Gilgeous-Alexander also said Mitchell is finding his footing, that the playoffs are a different ballgame and that he had no worry Mitchell would figure it out.
For Oklahoma City, the timing matters. A second-round series lead is one thing; doing it while replacing an injured starter and getting this level of production from a second-round pick is another. Mitchell spent three college seasons at UC Santa Barbara, grew up in Europe and played in 36 regular-season contests as a rookie last season, averaging 6.5 points per game. In the middle of a postseason run that has kept the Thunder undefeated after Game 3, his rise is becoming part of the case for why this team believes its depth can carry it all the way.
What happens next is straightforward and daunting for the Lakers: they must stop Mitchell as well as the rest of a Thunder team that now has both the lead and the evidence that its margins can come from anywhere.
