Devin Booker, Chris Paul Lead Suns to Opening Win vs. Luka Doncic, Mavericks

The new era of Phoenix Suns basketball started off on the right foot.

Phoenix defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-102 on Wednesday at Phoenix Suns Arena to begin the 2020-21 season with a win over a fellow Western Conference contender. Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges led the way for the victors, who played their first game with Chris Paul and Devin Booker together in the backcourt.

Dallas was unable to capitalize on its early hype and fell despite a solid showing from Luka Doncic.

Notable Player Stats

• Devin Booker, G, PHO: 22 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL
• Mikal Bridges, F, PHO: 18 PTS, 7 REB, 2 BLK, 4-of-7 3PT
• Luka Doncic, G, DAL: 32 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST

Balanced Suns Impress in Opening Win

There are few more intriguing storylines than what the Suns will look like this season.

After all, they went 8-0 in the Walt Disney World Resort bubble just to add a 10-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer in Paul and a veteran presence in Jae Crowder to a young core that already featured Booker and Deandre Ayton. Anything short of their first playoff appearance since the 2009-10 season would be a massive disappointment.

Booker looked ready to lead the team in the early going when he knocked down multiple shots from the outside, but it was Mikal Bridges who provided much of the initial spark for the Suns as they built a lead.

Dallas had to shift defenders toward the Booker and Paul combination, which is something the Suns will face throughout the season. They will need someone to hit the resultant open shots, and Bridges did just that for extended stretches Wednesday.

The Villanova product also hit a key triple in the final minute of the third quarter all while he was also tasked with hounding Doncic and disrupting the MVP candidate's path to the basket on the defensive side.

The balanced effort also included Cameron Johnson, Cameron Payne and Langston Galloway providing a spark off the bench with their outside shooting and overall athleticism. Paul didn't have to do too much with so many other contributors, which is another important theme for Phoenix this season as it attempts to keep the veteran relatively fresh for a playoff push.

Six Suns finished in double figures, yet it was the star guards who made the plays in crunch time.

Paul hit arguably the biggest shot of the game with a mid-range pull-up to go up three in the final two minutes, while Booker hit a key mid-range shot of his own to go with clutch free throws.

Doncic's Big Scoring Night Not Enough for Mavs

Dallas will be appointment viewing for much of the season for one reason.

Doncic took the league by storm as the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year and quickly established himself as one of the top players in the league as a First Team All-NBA selection in his second season. An MVP is well within reach in 2020-21 if he continues on his current path.

He was rusty at first and missed his first six shots but still exploited angles off the bounce, battled for boards and didn't hesitate to hit his open teammates when Phoenix collapsed on his methodical penetration.

Even though Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Richardson got open looks from deep with Doncic creating, the visitors were clearly missing Kristaps Porzingis' presence as they fell behind. The Suns could consistently shift additional defenders Doncic's way to cut off his driving lanes and open looks, and nobody else on the floor was capable of going into full takeover mode.

The result was a six-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter as the offense struggled to generate consistency against Phoenix's length and quickness.

That's when Jalen Brunson provided that second option that was missing for much of the game, creating shots off the bounce and hitting from mid-range. He scored all 12 of his points in the fourth quarter and helped the Mavericks close the deficit and set up a tight finish.

Still, they didn't have enough firepower to close out the deeper Suns down the stretch, as Doncic was the only player on his team to score more than 12.

What's Next?

The Mavericks are at the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, while the Suns are at the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.