To say that Luka Doncic caught fire in the first quarter of Thursday's matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers would be a complete understatement. The Mavs superstar was absolutely cooking in the opening period, dropping a mind-numbing 28 points in the opening frame.
Doncic drained no less than seven triples in the first quarter as he led the Mavs to a scorching hot opening period against their arch-rivals (h/t Grant Afseth of Sports Illustrated):
As it turns out, Doncic's 28-point explosion is the record for most points scored in a single quarter this season, topping Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry:
Doncic fell down back to earth in the second period, scoring just four points in the next 12 minutes of action. He finished the first half with 32 points on 11-of-16 shooting, 7-of-11 from distance, four rebounds, and three assists.
To be fair to the Clippers, they have kept this game competitive despite Luka's otherwordly performance. The Mavs were up just nine points at halftime, 59-50.
There is a bit of history between the Mavs and the Clippers and they have built up some sort of rivalry through the years. Doncic appears to be buying into that narrative and he made sure to make his mark on this game early on.