Luka Doncic Brilliant as Mavericks Rout Deandre Ayton, Suns

Luka Doncic had 30 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Phoenix Suns 104-94 on Wednesday at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

T.J. Warren had 20 points for the 10-33 Suns, who have lost seven of their last eight games. The Dallas Mavericks snapped a three-game losing streak and are now 16-4 at home.

Suns Must Improve Ayton's Supporting Cast to Meet Doncic's Level

In an interview with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Suns center Deandre Ayton noted how his impressive rookie season is going under the radar.

"I cringe a little bit," Ayton said. "I have family and friends who always talk about it. I hear them. I try not to really buy into that stuff. Obviously, it gives me a little edge. I just want to go out there for my teammates and just play."

The 7'1" center averaged 16.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game entering Wednesday and also was ranked 24th overall in PER, per ESPN.com.

The lack of attention has its reasons, as Michael Lee of The Athletic wrote that Ayton would be "generating his own considerable buzz if not for his team's record and Doncic's early eclipse of the entire 2018 draft class."

Doncic looks like he'll be an All-NBA player for a decade-plus, as he's already averaging 19.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. He's having one of the best seasons by any first-year player this decade, so there's certainly no shame in Ayton not getting the Rookie of the Year hardware this year. Plus, Ayton's season would garner him the award in many other seasons.

The other issue Lee mentioned was the Suns' record, and Ayton can't do much more than he has about that right now. With the loss, Phoenix kept its hold on the league's second-worst win-loss mark.

That's despite Ayton averaging a double-double. When he's off, the Suns' chances of competing significantly decrease. Ayton scuffled through an off-night against Dallas, scoring six points on 1-of-7 shooting and grabbing only five rebounds. He also was in foul trouble and picked up his fifth early in the fourth quarter.

The problem is the Suns couldn't slow down Doncic or the rest of the Mavs' starting lineup, as the Dallas quintet all scored in double digits and combined for 85 points. Meanwhile, the Phoenix starting five scored just 53 points.

Granted, Phoenix is missing leading scorer Devin Booker, who is averaging 24.8 points per game. But the team is just 8-23 with him on the floor, and the Suns are almost certain to finish last in the Western Conference. Per ESPN.com, Phoenix is also the only team in the league with bottom-five marks in offensive and defensive efficiency.

The 19-22 Mavs are five wins away from tying their win mark from last year with an entire half-season to play. Meanwhile, the Suns are on pace to be even worse than last year's 21-61 mark, which is hard to fathom given Ayton's inclusion and a coaching change.

Ayton has been mostly fantastic, but he can only do so much. Until the roster around him improves, the Suns will be hard-pressed to leave the conference cellar and join Doncic's Mavs and other teams led by young stars for playoff pushes.

What's Next?

Dallas heads north to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday at 8 p.m. ET, and Phoenix returns home to host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday at 9 p.m.