Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks with 28 points and 14 assists as they overpowered the New Orleans Pelicans in a 139-107 win on the road Wednesday.
The Mavericks record-breaking shooting performance was the story of the night. Dallas made 57-of-83 (68.7%) shot attempts on the night, beating the franchise’s record of 67.7% shooting set on March 24, 1983, against San Diego. The Mavericks made 39-of-49 (79.6%) two-point attempts, a team record and the third-best percentage since the NBA created the shot clock in 1954.
“It was a great game,” Dallas guard Luka Doncic said, who made 11-of-16 shot attempts. “We came out with a lot of energy, and I think we moved the ball pretty good. Those shots were open, so we knocked them down.”
Doncic was no question the catalyst for the Mavericks historic night on offense. He scored 18 points in the first quarter, including 14 straight at one point, helping the Mavericks explode out of the gate for a 41-23 lead after one quarter. Of Dallas’ first 35 points, Doncic scored 16 and assisted on 13 other points to account for 83% of the offense.
The 41-point first quarter is the team’s highest-scoring quarter of the season; they made 16-of-22 (73%) shot attempts in the opening frame.
“It all started with Luka,” said Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 20 points and pulled down ten rebounds. “He was playing for the team, he started off the game hot himself, and then he was sharing the ball. Our energy was there right from the beginning because we shared it. It was a chain reaction, starting from him, and we got great looks.”
Doncic had 22 points and ten assists by halftime, and Dallas held a commanding 67-46 lead. He joined Damian Lillard and Trae Young as the only players with multiple 20-point and 10-assist halves since 2018-19.
Doncic scored or assisted on 19 of the Mavericks’ 28 first-half made shots. The victory was never in doubt for Dallas in the second half, and the team was able to rest their stars for the entire fourth quarter. The Mavericks’ biggest lead was 137-100 in the game’s closing minutes.
The Pelicans entered the game having won three of their last four games; the loss drops their record to 6-18. Brandon Ingram led them with 29 points.
Dallas needed the win after losing four of its last five games. The team improved to 11-9 on the season. They will rematch against the Pelicans in their next game on Friday night in Dallas.