Wednesday’s 126-97 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers was secured by the Dallas Mavericks, who were led by 70 points from their formidable backcourt duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić.

Averaging 33.7 points per game, Dončić finished the game with 41 points, six rebounds, and five assists. According to Basketball Reference, it was his seventh game of the season in which he scored at least 40 points.

In his second game back from a foot injury, Irving, who the Mavericks acquired via trade last season, finished with 29 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.

Following the contest, Dallas head coach Jason Kidd remarked, “A lot of great performances by our two stars to get us started.” “This evening, Kai Irving didn’t wait. He was combative.Luka was Luka after that.

On a night when the struggling Trail Blazers failed to pose any threat to the Mavs, the All-Star team combined to shoot 57.5% from the field.

Thanks in large part to Dončić’s 30 points in only the first two quarters, Dallas put the game out of reach before the end of the first half, leading the Mavs by 31 at the intermission.

The reigning Mavericks had everything going for them, including a crazy circus play in which Irving unintentionally banked in what was supposed to be a lob throw to Dereck Lively II.

Dallas led 78-47 going into halftime and eased off a little bit on the accelerator. Although the teams played more evenly in the second half, Portland was unable to cut into the Mavs lead and lost by 29 points.

Against the Blazers, Irving drives to the hoop. Glenn James/NBAE/Getty ImagesThe Mavs’ rotation was hindered by the loss of both Lively and forward Grant Williams to ankle sprains throughout the game, but in the end, the Blazers’ defensive flaws proved to be their downfall.

“Kyrie got it going early and Luka got it going early,” said Portland guard Anfernee Simons. “It’s going to be a long night if those dudes are playing and firing on all cylinders like that.”

Simons scored 15 while Shaedon Sharpe had 16 points off the bench as the now 9-24 Blazers continue to adjust to life without Damian Lillard.

Meanwhile, Dallas improved to 20-15 with the win and occupies the seventh seed in a competitive Western Conference. The two teams face each other in a rematch on Friday night.

History made in scoring frenzy around the league

As impressive as the Mavericks were offensively, they paled in comparison to some of the scoring outputs on a historic night in the NBA on Wednesday.

For the first time in league history, five teams scored at least 140 points on the same day.

Scoring in the NBA has been trending upwards in recent years, with teams now averaging 115.5 points per game.

The most eye-catching of Wednesday’s results was the overtime battle between the Detroit Pistons and the Utah Jazz which saw both sides break the 140-point barrier.

The Jazz escaped with the 154-148 win after Detroit’s Alec Burks drained a buzzer-beating triple to send the game to OT. The Pistons fall to a dismal 3-31 record as result, having only snapped a 28-game losing streak – tied for the longest in NBA history – on Saturday.

Jordan Clarkson celebrates during the game – the Utah guard had 36 points off the bench.Rob Gray/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Elsewhere, star point guard Tyrese Haliburton led the Indiana Pacers to their fourth win over the Milwaukee Bucks this season, posting 31 points and 12 assists in the 142-130 victory, while the Cleveland Cavaliers bulldozed past the Washington Wizards, 140-101.

The Atlanta Hawks had seven players hit double figures in their 141-point night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who, with 138 points, narrowly missed out on joining the 140+ club.