NBA playoffs: 3 storylines from the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz in Game 2

1. Donovan Mitchell carves up the Denver Nuggets’ defense again

On the heels of his 57-point outburst in Game 1, Donovan Mitchell became the youngest player to score at least 50 points in a playoff game since Michael Jordan accomplished the feat against the Boston Celtics in 1986.

Mitchell is also just the third player in NBA history to score 50 or more in a playoff game. Taking that into consideration, the Nuggets were intent on making sure he didn’t have the same level of success in Game 2.

Early on, the Nuggets did all they could to keep the ball out of Mitchell’s hands and the strategy worked as he was limited to six points in the first half. However, Mitchell made his presence felt in the third quarter, scoring 21 of his game-high 30 points, helping the Jazz to take control of the game for good.

In addition to his 30 points, Mitchell also handed out eight assists. Not only did Mitchell let the game come to him without forcing the action, but he also did so in an efficient manner. For example, he put up 33 shot attempts in Game 1. In this contest, he shot 10-for-14 from the field.

He connected on six of his 15 attempts from 3 in the series opener. In Game 2, he made the same number of 3-pointers on just seven attempts. Simply put, Utah is a much better team when Mitchell doesn’t have to carry the load by himself. And if he can continue to play at this level for the remainder of the series, the Jazz have a shot to advance to the next round.