The Dallas Mavericks squad was not prepared to face the best team in the league on the road after the news of Luka Doncic being traded shook the entire NBA to the core. The Cavs took full advantage of the situation and went ballistic against an understaffed Dallas from the jump. Their 91-point first-half performance against the Texas team had fans wondering whether any records were broken at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse tonight.
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To be more specific, a lot of fans believed that Cleveland probably broke the record for most points in the first half of an NBA game with their performance tonight. However, that was not the case. They missed out by a margin of 16 points.
The Phoenix Suns hold the record for most points in a first half in the league after they had 107 points in a November 10, 1990 game against the Denver Nuggets. The game ended 173-143 in favor of the Suns.
The Cavs’ 91-point outing puts them in the third spot on the list of most points scored in the first-half in league history. They are just behind the Warriors who had 92 against the Bulls in a game in 2018.
If we talk about the biggest second-half performance in NBA history, that record belongs to the Atlanta Hawks, who had a staggering 97 points in the last two quarters of a February 11, 1970 game against the San Diego Rockets. The Hawks would go on to win the contest 155-131.
In any case, the Cavs’ performance against the Mavs shouldn’t be downplayed because it didn’t break a record. Donovan Mitchell and Co. were on a tear and showed exactly why they have the best record in the NBA.
On the other hand, the Mavs’ front office should be counting their blessings that the game didn’t end up breaking any records. They would certainly be in a much more difficult position than they are now if the headlines read that the Mavs conceded record points the day after they traded their biggest superstar to strengthen their defense.
The game eventually ended in a 144-101 win for the Cavs. But the Dallas side now moves to a 26-24 record in the competitive Western Conference. So Anthony Davis would have his work cut out after joining the side mid-season.
