CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers broke Michael Jordan's NBA playoff record Sunday night with his eighth straight game of at least 30 points in a series opener.
The All-Star guard set the mark with a layup that gave him 31 points with 4:50 remaining in the fourth quarter in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers.
Jordan had two seven-game streaks of 30 points in Game 1s (from 1991 to 1993 and 1997 to 1998) while leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles.
Mitchell's streak began with the Utah Jazz during the 2020 playoffs — held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, during the COVID-19 pandemic — when he scored 57 points against the Denver Nuggets.