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Donovan Mitchell made history when he scored his 30th point in Game 4 of the ongoing NBA Western Conference semi-final series between the LA Clippers and Utah Jazz.
Mitchell tied the record for the longest streak (6) in franchise history to score 30 points in the NBA Playoffs. Former league MVP Karl Malone remains the only other Utah Jazz player to achieve the feat.
Donovan Mitchell is also currently among the five active players with the longest streak of 30-point games in the NBA.
5 Longest streaks of 30-point games in NBA Playoffs among active players
#1 LeBron James - 8 games
LeBron James leading an NBA Playoffs record comes as no surprise at all. The four-time league and finals MVP leads the list with eight consecutive 30-point games in the playoffs. His streak came during the 2017 NBA Playoffs when LeBron was leading the charge for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Even though the then-defending champions Cavaliers lost the NBA Finals that year, LeBron's run in that postseason was a memorable one. He led his team to 4-0 sweeps in the first two rounds against the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors, respectively.
His streak started in Game 3 of the first-round against the Pacers and ended in Game 3 of the Conference finals against the Boston Celtics. Michael Jordan is the only other player with an eight-game 30-point streak and has achieved it twice. Meanwhile, LeBron James also has a five-game streak of scoring 30 points or more.
#2 Donovan Mitchell - 6 Games*
Donovan Mitchell is currently tied with Steph Curry to have 6 consecutive 30-point games. He is the only player who has an active streak as well at the moment and could break LeBron James' and Michael Jordan's record if he scores 30 points or more in each of his next three playoff games.
Mitchell's streak started against the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 3 of the round one series of the ongoing 2021 NBA Playoffs, which he continued until Game 4 of the second-round series against the LA Clippers. The series against LA is currently tied at 2-2, and there is a chance it boils down to a best-of-seven contest.
If Mitchell is able to lead his team to a Game 7 and score 30 points in every fixture, he will be able to break LeBron and Jordan's record in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
#3 Stephen Curry - 6 Games
Stephen Curry has one of the most impressive resumes when it comes to the NBA playoffs among active players. The two-time league MVP has won the NBA championship thrice in the last decade (2015,2017,2018) and was instrumental in all of those runs.
His six-game 30-point streak came during the 2019 NBA Playoffs, in which the Golden State Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors in the finals. Curry's hot streak started in Game 6 of the second-round series against the Houston Rockets and ended in Game 1 of the finals against the Raptors.
#4 Kevin Durant - 5 Games
Kevin Durant being ranked this low on the list could come as a surprise given his lethal scoring prowess. Nonetheless, he has managed to achieve this feat twice in his career, in two separate postseason campaigns. The first time was during the 2017 NBA Playoffs.
Durant managed to achieve the feat during the NBA Finals series against the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers. It was a five-game series and KD put on an impressive show scoring 30+ points in each match. The Warriors went on to win the NBA Championship, which was also Durant's first-ever chip.
The second instance was during the 2019 NBA Playoffs. KD started that 5-game streak against the LA Clippers in round one (Game 3), and his run ended against the Houston Rockets in the second round (Game 1). Durant recorded 45 and 50-points as well during that period, both against the Clippers.
#5 Kawhi Leonard - 5 Games
Kawhi Leonard has carried the LA Clippers on his back during both his postseason appearances for the side so far. His 5-game 30-point scoring streak came in the 2020 NBA playoffs in round one of the series between the Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks.
It impacted the series hugely as the Clippers were close to facing early elimination, especially with Kawhi's co-star, Paul George, struggling during that postseason campaign. Leonard's superb run helped his team clinch a 4-2 series win.
Also read: Top 3 snubs from the 2020-21 NBA All-Defensive teams
