The Dallas Mavericks made history when they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 124-73. At halftime, the difference was 50 points, breaking a 30-year record.
In 1991, the Golden State Warriors set a record going into halftime with a 47-point lead over rival Sacramento. No one thought the day would come when this huge margin would be broken.
NBA season-openers have traditionally featured their fair share of the unpredictable. Some, on the other hand, haven't had much to write home about. No one expected what second year Slovenian sensation Luka Dončić had up his sleeve for the league opener, however.
In a game featuring rivals Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks, a double-digit lead for Dallas quickly reached 43-13, continued to grow to 56-16 and stood at 50 at halftime with the visitors in front 77-27.
While the game was played without LA's home crowd to support the team due to coronavirus guidelines, and Los Angeles without perennial all-Star and team leader Kawhi Leonard, LA had still managed to squeak out two early season wins over Denver and and last year's champion Lakers.
The final score broke a 30-year record held by Golden State, and the 50 halftime deficit was the biggest in the opening half since the dawn of the shot clock era in the 1954/55 season.
How bad were the Clippers in the first half? They finished the half shooting just 24% from the field, with just 5% efficiency from three-point range, scoring just once in 19 attempts and dishing out only three assists at the half. Most surprising of all, the same Clippers are widely considered one of the strongest and most intriguing teams in the league.
Dallas taking its star players out of the game in the late going failed to slow down the onslaught, when six minutes before the end of the contest the margin jumped to 57 at 120-63.
Dallas ended up taking the contest by a whopping 51, with the final score 124-73 for the visitors, providing Dallas nearly its biggest win in team history and worst defeat for the Clippers.
The Washington Wizards' Israeli phenom, Deni Avdija, meantime, had his best opportunity to register a point in the winning column last night when his squad took on the Orlando Magic.
Avdija received plenty of playing time with team leader Russel Westbrook sitting out the contest.
The former Maccabi Tel Aviv star started out the game by sinking a three and grabbing a rebound but the team couldn't come through in the final minutes of the contest as they saw their lead slip and Orlando win their second consecutive game 120-113 over the struggling Wizards.