Mavericks guard Luka Doncic makes history in 50-point win over Jazz
By Noah Weber
The Dallas Mavericks entered Wednesday night's game against the Utah Jazz coming off of back-to-back losses over the weekend to the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dallas was shorthanded in both losses, and Kyrie Irving injured his foot in Friday night's game, but with the return of Irving and Tim Hardaway Jr. on Wednesday, it was a different result for Dallas.
The Mavs defeated the Jazz 147-97 to improve to 12-8 and get back on track. This was a game of straight offensive dominance by the Mavs as Kyrie Irving finished with 26 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. knocked down four 3-pointers.
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic makes history in 50-point win over Jazz
But the real dominance of the night came from Luka Doncic.
Doncic had an extremely hot start to the game as he had 14 points in the first six minutes of the game and seemingly couldn't miss. He was locked in from downtown while also flashing outstanding chemistry with Kyrie Irving.
Doncic was hitting Irving with timely passes, and he was knocking down the open jumpers. The Mavericks' offense was firing on all cylinders, and Doncic was at the head of it all.
Doncic ended up finishing with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in the first half, marking the first 25-point triple-double in the first half in NBA history, per Mavs PR. There have been five other first-half triple-doubles over the last 25+ years, but none have scored as many points as Doncic.
Watching this historical night from Doncic was unbelievable, as he was hitting extremely tough shots and was playing with perfect rhythm. It was inevitable that Doncic was going to have a massive game from the opening tip, and he continued his offensive downpour deep into the second half.
Doncic finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists while knocking down six 3-pointers. This was one of Doncic's most dominant games of the season, and he likely would have gone for over 50 or 60 points if the game was closer.
The Mavericks' next game is on Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers.
For all the latest on Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks this season, stay tuned.