Kevin Love found his rhythm early Wednesday against the Portland Trail Blazers and turned it into a memorable first quarter. The Cavaliers power forward scored 34 points in the period, fueled by eight 3-pointers.
Love's outburst represented an NBA record for a first quarter. He fell just three points shy of the league record for points in any quarter; the Warriors' Klay Thompson scored 37 in a third quarter last season.
MORE: Blazers-Cavs Game Center
Love (34) outscored the entire Trail Blazers team (31) in the first quarter.
UPDATE: Love went scoreless in the second quarter, but the Cavs didn't really need him. They led the Blazers 81-60 at halftime. Here's his first-half shot chart:
UPDATE 2: Love managed just six points in the second half and finished with 40 in Cleveland's 137-125 victory. Overall he was 12 for 20 from the floor and 8 for 12 from 3-point range.
He was quick to point he didn't put up those points by himself.
"More than anything, Kyrie (Irving) and Bron (LeBron James, who finished with a triple-double) were finding me all over the court," he said in a postgame interview with Fox Sports Ohio. "Just got into a really good rhythm."
"It was really nothing out of the ordinary," Love added. "Just hit shots, got into a good flow, played the whole quarter. I think (Cavs coach) Ty Lue saw that I was rolling and we kept playing."
Sporting News' Tom Gatto contributed to this report. This article has been updated to show that Love set an NBA record for points in a first quarter.