Luka Doncic scored 21 of his 32 points in the first quarter, and the Dallas Mavericks rode a hot start to a 137-96 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in their home opener Saturday night.
Ja Morant scored the first six Memphis points, but the first bucket from someone else didn’t come until the 4:30 mark of the first quarter as the Grizzlies trailed 39-17 going to the second.
Morant finished with 20 points a night after a 49-point showing in a victory at Houston gave him 83 points through two games. The Grizzlies were trying for their first 3-0 start in five years. Christian Wood had 25 points and 12 rebounds in his home debut for Dallas following an offseason trade that brought the 6-foot-10 center from Houston.
The Mavericks led by 25 points in the first, and the 22-point margin after the quarter matched the lead the 2022 Western Conference finalists blew in a 107-105 loss at Phoenix to open the season.