LOS ANGELES -- It comes as no surprise that the Los Angeles Lakers are being lit up by an Oklahoma City Thunder guard through three games of their Western Conference semifinals series.
But while the Lakers have actually succeeded in slowing down reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander -- holding him to 21.0 points per game, more than 10 fewer that his season average -- they don't have any answers for second-year guard Ajay Mitchell.
The Belgian-born second-round pick, who wasn't even in the Thunder's playoff rotation as a rookie during Oklahoma City's championship run last season, torched the Lakers for 24 points and 10 assists without a turnover in a dominant 131-108 win in Game 3. His performance has the defending champs on the precipice of their second straight sweep despite a pedestrian series so far by Gilgeous-Alexander.
"We all know on the team that he's good," injured Thunder star wing Jalen Williams told ESPN, "and now the world is kind of finding out."
Mitchell, 23, is thriving as a fill-in starter while Williams recovers from a left hamstring strain that he suffered in Game 2 of the first round against the Phoenix Suns. He has averaged 20.7 points, 6.7 assists and only 1.0 turnover while shooting 53.3% from the floor in the three wins over the Lakers.
"I think the biggest thing for me was just going out there and being confident," Mitchell said. "I know what I can do. When I go out there, I just want to compete and help this team win and play freely."
Mitchell has also been a major factor for the Thunder defensively in the series, taking the primary assignment of guarding Lakers star Austin Reaves to start games. Reaves had his second poor shooting performance of the series on Saturday, when he was 5-of-13 from the floor, including 2-of-7 with Mitchell as his primary defender, according to ESPN tracking.
"Reaves is obviously an incredibly tough cover and he's made him earn everything," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "He's stayed fundamentally sound. He's made very few egregious mistakes there and hasn't given him anything easy. He obviously was huge offensively tonight in the second half, but defensively he's been as steady as they come."
Mitchell's playoff success isn't a sudden development. He was an immediate contributor as a rookie who started his career on a two-way deal before midseason toe surgery sidelined him for months. He had a stellar second season, averaging 13.6 points and 3.6 assists per game for the 64-18 Thunder and finishing fifth in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
But Williams entered the postseason with precious little playoff experience, essentially only playing in garbage time during last year's title run. His role increased significantly after Williams, whose status is considered week-to-week, went down.
Mitchell struggled in his first playoff start, going 5-of-20 from the floor in the Thunder's Game 3 win over the Suns, but coach Mark Daigneault and his teammates praised his aggressiveness in that outing. He has scored at least 20 points in three of the four games since, the exception being an 18-point performance in the Game 2 win over the Lakers.
In Game 3, Mitchell joined Magic Johnson, Chris Paul and Tyrese Haliburton as the only players since 1990 to have at least 20 points, 10 assists and three steals without committing a turnover in a playoff game, according to ESPN Research.
"He's just finding his footing," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It's obviously his first run in the playoffs. It's obviously a different ball game. He's just getting more and more comfortable as the game goes on, as the series goes on. I said this before, he had a rough [Game 2 in Phoenix], but he was so confident out there. I was never worried that he was going to figure it out, and he's showing that."
Gilgeous-Alexander has yet to get in an extended groove against the Lakers, who have had guard Marcus Smart hug Gilgeous-Alexander all over the court to deny him the ball and have double-teamed him aggressively when he has had the ball in his hands.
"Obviously, I haven't been my best in performances, but I think I've been able to help the team win and that's most important," said Gilgeous-Alexander, who had nine assists in Game 3. "As long as we win. If the rest of the playoff run or the rest of my career look like what it looked like the past few games, I'd be okay with it because we won games."
The fact that the Lakers' defensive schemes have succeeded in limiting Gilgeous-Alexander's production only adds to the frustration of being handed three lopsided losses. The Lakers have lost three consecutive playoff games by at least 15 points for the first time in franchise history, according to ESPN Research.
"The MVP is [held to]18 [points], 22 [points], 7-of-20 tonight, and they've kicked our ass three straight games," Lakers coach J.J. Redick said. "They're an incredible basketball team."
Mitchell dominated during the stretch at the start of the fourth quarter when the Thunder put Game 3 out of reach, most of which occurred while Gilgeous-Alexander took his normal rest time. Mitchell accounted for 18 points in the first six minutes of the quarter, scoring nine and dishing out four assists as the Thunder pushed their lead to 18.
"He's ready for the moment," Williams said. "Especially me being out, it's like embrace that moment. The team wants you to shoot those shots. The team wants you to be aggressive. When you're aggressive, especially him, you end up making the right play more times than not. And he made the right play every single time. He's a hell of a player."
ESPN's Dave McMenamin contributed to this report.