Doncic powers Mavs with 51 points, Suns send message to Bucks

The 22-year-old Slovenian was unstoppable from the opening tip-off, scoring 28 points in the first quarter when he made seven of 10 three-point attempts.

"I felt great," Doncic said after his first 50-point game, in which he connected on 65 percent of his shots from the field and 50 percent from three-point range. "I felt energy. The shots were hitting, they were switching, they didn't want me to create, I guess.

"I'm tired as hell right now," the 22-year-old added.

It was the 17th time in Doncic's career that he scored 40 or more points. His previous career-high was 46.

"It was a really fun thing to watch," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. "I didn't have to do much, just tried to stay out of the way."

Six of Doncic's top eight scoring performances have come against the Clippers. But even though they have struggled to contain him, Los Angeles stayed in touch. They cut a double-digit deficit to three points in the final quarter, but couldn't get any closer.

The game was a rematch of a 2021 Western Conference first-round playoff series won by the Clippers in seven games. Thursday also featured the first meeting between the Phoenix Suns and the NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks since last season's Finals, the Suns producing a convincing 131-107 victory.

Veteran point guard Chris Paul scored 17 points and handed out 19 assists for the Suns, who improved their league-leading record to 45-10.

DeAndre Ayton scored 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Western Conference leaders.

Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday scored 21 points apiece for the Bucks and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo added 18 points with seven rebounds and eight assists.

"It's a good win," Paul said. "We're just trying to pile up wins. We've