LOS ANGELES – The Dallas Mavericks rose to a 50-point halftime lead over the LA Clippers on Sunday, setting the record for the largest halftime lead in NBA history.
Without injured Kawhi Leonard (mouth opening) and Marcus Morris (knee), the Clippers couldn’t do much in the first half, trailing 77-27 at the break of their home opener. The Mavericks’ 50-point lead at the break surpassed the previous score for the biggest halftime lead – a 47-point lead the Golden State Warriors had over the Sacramento Kings in November 1991, according to data from Elias Sports Bureau.
The Mavericks shot 58% of the field and buried nine three-pointers in half. The Clippers scored a total of nine field goals and missed 18 of 19 3-point tries in half, their worst 3-point field goal percentage in a single half of the past 25 seasons, according to research from ESPN Stats & Information.
Paul George scored 13 of the Clippers’ 27 points in the half. It wasn’t until George hit a jumper with 5:01 to go in the second quarter that the Clippers hit 20 points for the game.
The unsuccessful first-half attempt came after the Clippers started their season impressively, beating the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night, and then beating the Nuggets in Denver.