The first day of the 2020 NBA Playoffs was extremely memorable despite the fact no one was in attendance in Orlando, Florida. In the first game of the four, Donovan Mitchell of Elmsford, New York scored a remarkable 57 points in a 135-125 Utah Jazz loss to the Denver Nuggets. Then on Monday night, Luka Doncic of Ljubljana, Slovenia had 42 points in a 118-110 Dallas Mavericks loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Mitchell’s 57 points on Monday only trails Michael Jordan of Brooklyn, New York, and Elgin Baylor of Washington, District of Columbia. Jordan had 63 points for the Chicago Bulls on April 20, 1986. While Baylor had 61 points for the Los Angeles Lakers on April 14, 1962.
Interestingly like Mitchell, Jordan had his remarkable offensive performance in a losing cause. Jordan and the Bulls lost 135-131 to the Boston Celtics in game two of the first round of the 1986 NBA Playoffs. The Celtics would sweep the series and go on to win the 1986 NBA Finals by beating the Houston Rockets in six games.
Like Jordan, Baylor had his monster performance against the Celtics. He achieved the mark in game five of the 1962 NBA Finals, a 126-121 Lakers win. However, the Lakers could not get by the Celtics as they were beaten in seven games.
Doncic’s 42 points were the most points ever by a player in his very first NBA postseason game. John Williamson of New Haven, Connecticut held the old record with 38 points. Williamson achieved that mark for the New Jersey Nets in a 122-114 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on April 11, 1979.
