Shai on Ajay Mitchell:
“It may be a shock to the world, but this is no shock to us. We knew who Ajay Mitchell was the day he stepped foot in our building, and he’s just showing it to the world.”
Getty
The Oklahoma City Thunder walked into Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night as the most complete team in the NBA playoffs. They had won their first six postseason games by an average margin of more than 17 points. They had done it with different players stepping up each night, rotating through a roster so deep that no opponent had found a reliable answer for it.
Game 3 was no different.
Oklahoma City overwhelmed the Los Angeles Lakers 131-108, taking a 3-0 series lead that has all but ended the Western Conference semifinals. On a night when the Thunder needed someone to take over in the second half, a young guard answered the call.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was not surprised.
After the game, the Thunder superstar was asked about Ajay Mitchell’s breakout performance. His answer said everything about the culture inside Oklahoma City’s locker room and why this team keeps finding new ways to hurt opponents.
“It may be a shock to the world, but this is no shock to us. We knew who Ajay Mitchell was the day he stepped foot in our building, and he’s just showing it to the world,” SGA said.
The rest of the league is catching up to what the Thunder already knew.
Mitchell is not a young player suddenly finding himself in a high-pressure moment. He is a player who has been preparing for exactly this, inside a program that does not hand opportunity to players who are not ready for it.
That is what SGA was pointing to. The surprise belongs to everyone watching from the outside. Inside that locker room, this was always coming.
Shai on Ajay Mitchell:
“It may be a shock to the world, but this is no shock to us. We knew who Ajay Mitchell was the day he stepped foot in our building, and he’s just showing it to the world.”
The numbers told the story clearly.
Mitchell finished with 24 points, 10 assists, and 3 steals, setting postseason career-highs in all three categories in a single night. He started in place of the injured Jalen Williams.
His most decisive work came after halftime. Mitchell scored 18 of his 24 points in the second half, giving Oklahoma City exactly what it needed when the Lakers were trying to hold onto the game.
Mitchell ended it.
Cason Wallace had set the tone earlier, carving up Los Angeles for 11 points in the opening quarter before the game had found its footing. Isaiah Joe came off the bench late in the third to hit back-to-back threes that extinguished whatever belief the Lakers had carried out of halftime.
Oklahoma City does not have one answer.
It has twelve.
GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 09: Ajay Mitchell #25 of the Oklahoma City Thunder passes the ball against Deandre Ayton #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter in Game Three of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 23 points and 9 assists, orchestrating without dominating, which is the most unsettling version of him for opposing teams. Chet Holmgren added 18 points and 9 boards.
Oklahoma City is now 7-0 this postseason. No team in NBA history has ever recovered from a 3-0 series deficit. The Lakers will try on Monday night, but the Thunder have given no indication that anything is about to change.
Jalen Williams is managing a hamstring injury. Mitchell stepped in. Oklahoma City kept rolling.
That is the most telling detail of all.
GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 09: Luguentz Dort #5, Isaiah Hartenstein #55, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 and Ajay Mitchell #25 of the Oklahoma City Thunder react on the bench against the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter in Game Three of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Mitchell’s emergence does not make Oklahoma City more dangerous in isolation. It confirms something the Thunder have shown all postseason.
The next man up in this program is never a step down.
SGA called it before anyone outside the building could see it coming. The work was already done. The moment just needed to arrive. It arrived Saturday night.
Game 4 is Monday. The Thunder will be ready.
They always are.
Keith Watkins Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins
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