The next-highest first-quarter scoring averages over the same stretch belong to Embiid (9.6), Booker (9.6), and Ja Morant (9.3). That’s an average of 13.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists over a 12-minute stretch, and that puts him head and shoulders above his peers. 17 against the New Orleans Pelicans: 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists 15 against the Miami Heat: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist 12 against the Los Angeles Clippers: 9 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists 10 against the Los Angeles Clippers: 28 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist 8 against the Detroit Pistons: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists 6 against the Atlanta Hawks: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder: 14 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists 7 mark in the league) while coughing the ball up just 1.3 times per opening period.īut something clicked recently, and Doncic has taken it upon himself to dominate the early stages of a game even more thoroughly: The do-everything guard(?) is slashing 46.8/41.0/75.0 and still finding time to average 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists (the No. That mid-February destruction of the overmatched Pelicans was far from an aberration even if it resulted in yet another signature performance when the clock hit zeroes: 49 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists on 17-of-35 shooting from the field.ĭoncic leads the league in first-quarter points on the year, outpacing every other marquee player in the Association:Įfficiency hasn’t eluded him, either. As he rises up MVP pecking orders across the interwebs and carries the Mavericks into a loftier spot in the Western Conference standings, he’s taken it upon himself to get off to quick starts, burying the opposition before it even knows the Slovenian sensation has delivered a knockout blow. It wasn’t quite a one-man show (see: 45 points), but 22-year-old superstar Luka Doncic still almost outproduced the New Orleans Pelicans all on his lonesome with 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists.įor context, only 16 qualified players are averaging 19, five, and four per game during the 2021-22 NBA campaign.ĭoncic isn’t quite maintaining those numbers in the first quarter alone for the entirety of the season, but he’s been knocking on the door in recent weeks. 17, 2022, the Dallas Mavericks had jetted out to a 45-27 lead, one they wouldn’t relinquish en route to a 125-118 victory. By the time the first-quarter buzzer sounded in Smoothie King Center on Feb.
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