LOS ANGELES – The Dallas Mavericks reached a 50-point lead in the LA Clippers half on Sunday, setting the record for the biggest lead in NBA history.
Playing uninjured Kawhi Leonard (mouth laceration) and Marcus Morris (knee), the Clippers couldn’t do much in the first half and dragged the score 77-27 at the break from their start. The Mavericks’ 50-point lead at the break surpassed the previous mark to make the maximum difference at halftime: a 47-point lead the Golden State Warriors had over the Sacramento Kings in November 1991, according to ‘Elias Sports Bureau.
The Mavericks shot 58% from the field and buried nine triples in the half. The Clippers scored a total of nine field goals and missed 18 of 19 3-point attempts at halftime, their worst 3-point field goal percentage in a single half in the past 25 seasons, according to research by ‘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 left for the second quarter that the Clippers reached 20 points in the game.
The futile effort of the first half came after the Clippers opened their season impressively, beating the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night and then beating the Nuggets in Denver.