The Dallas Mavericks did not get off to strong start during their Friday night battle against old rival Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA In-Season Tournament. They went down by as many as 12 points in the first quarter, with the Clippers looking like they're putting it together. The Mavs, however, came roaring back in the second quarter, with Luka Doncic showing once again why he may be next in line for ownership of the Clippers franchise after governor Steve Ballmer.

Taking advantage of a disjointed Clippers team that's still integrating James Harden, Doncic was getting to his spots with ease. He was getting favorable matchups over and over, demolishing Ivica Zubac and Harden multiple times with stepback triples and floaters off of hesitation drives, and as a result, the Mavs star tallied his most efficient scoring outburst of the new campaign.

In a 144-126 victory over the Clippers, Luka Doncic finished with 44 points, six rebounds, and six assists on an astounding 17-21 shooting from the field and 6-9 from deep. And in doing so, the Mavs star proved that he remains the Clippers' daddy. According to Mavs PR on Twitter (X), Doncic now has five 40-point games against the Clippers franchise, his most against any team. His 81 percent shooting from the field is his highest field goal percentage in a game in his career as well, which just goes to show how dominant he was on Friday night.

And to put Doncic's greatness in even more startling perspective, he is now one of only three players in NBA history to tally 30 or more 40-point games before turning 25 years old, according to StatMuse. The Mavs star, after a thorough demolition of the Clippers, has joined Michael Jordan and LeBron James in that exclusive club — a truly elite accomplishment.

What makes the Mavs so dangerous this season is that Luka Doncic is not shouldering the weight of the world on his shoulders on offense. Kyrie Irving, in particular, was instrumental in shifting the momentum towards the Mavs' favor against the Clippers on Friday night, while Tim Hardaway Jr. and Derrick Jones Jr. were also hitting their shots.