Luka Doncic heats up after slow start, but Dallas Mavericks lose opener to Phoenix Suns
Luke Doncic shook off a slow start shooting to finish with a flourish but the Dallas Mavericks lost their season opener to the Phoenix Suns, 106-102, Wednesday night.
Doncic missed his first six shots, but quickly regrouped and finished with a team-high 32 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Doncic never found his touch from the 3-point arc. He finished 0 for 6 on 3s and 11 of 26 overall.
It was Jalen Brunson who helped the Mavs make the game close in the fourth quarter. Brunson scored 12 points off the bench, all in the final quarter, on 5 of 8 shooting.
The Suns led by 12 with about 11 minutes remaining before the Mavs made their move with Doncic on the bench to start the quarter.
Doncic hit two free throws to tie it at 100 with 1:56 remaining but the Suns held on for the win behind Devin Booker’s jumper with 40 seconds remaining, which gave Phoenix a five-point lead. Booker led the Suns with 22 points.
Josh Richardson and Tim Hardaway Jr. both scored 12 points for the Mavs.
The Mavericks next play the Los Angeles Lakers at 7:30 p.m. Friday night. The game will air on WFAA/Ch. 8 and ESPN.
This story was originally published December 24, 2020 at 12:08 AM.
