Luka Doncic has massive first half in revenge game against Mavericks

Doncic scored his first points less than two minutes into Tuesday's game against the Mavericks, and he wasted little time in stuffing the stat sheet. At halftime, Doncic was only three assists short of a triple-double, going into the break with 12 points, 12 rebounds and seven dimes.

Doncic came out so hot that he was halfway to a triple-double halfway through the first quarter. The Mavericks certainly respected their former superstar, giving him a ton of defensive attention and limiting Doncic to 3-of-8 shooting. But getting the ball out of Doncic's hands only works when you can also stop his passing, including improbable behind-the-head passes.

Perhaps fired up by the criticism of his defense, Doncic also made big plays as a defender. He had two steals and two blocks in the first half, which may have shocked Mavericks GM Nico Harrison.

There's now an instant rivalry between the Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers. Not only does Doncic have something to prove, but so does former Laker Max Christie and former Maverick Dorian Finney-Smith. When he's finally healthy, Anthony Davis likely wants to prove the Lakers made a mistake by trading him, and Kyrie Irving and LeBron James still have some tension dating back to Irving demanding a trade when the two were teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

But for the first 24 minutes of Tuesday's game, it was all Cool Hand Luka. The Mavericks were left with two quarters to prove they can still win big games without him.