Booker 22pts Lead Phoenix Suns Past Dallas Mavericks – Game Highlights, Report

PHOENIX — Devin Booker scored 22 points and Mikal Bridges added 18 and the Phoenix Suns held off the Dallas Mavericks 106-102 in the NBA season opener for both teams on Wednesday night.

Phoenix Suns vs. Dallas Mavericks Highlights – Gamebook Box Score

Booker went 8-of-15 from the field in shooting the ball and grabbed five rebounds, with three assists and two steals in the win. Meanwhile, Bridges connected on four shots from deep in his performance and added seven rebounds and two blocks.

Chris Paul, meanwhile, ended with eight points, five assists, four rebounds, and two steals in his official debut for the Suns.

“They don’t label ’em disjointed wins. We got a win against a really good team,” Phoenix’s head coach Monty Williams said.

Luka Doncic recovered from his early game rust to finish with a game-high 32 points, eight rebounds, and five assists to lead the Mavericks.

Doncic looked out of sync and hesitant in the first half, as he shot just 5 for 15 from the field.

“I’ve got to stop taking these very bad shots. It wasn’t just the last one, but it was a couple of them. It’s not good for me, it’s not good for the team, and I’ve got to change it,” he said.

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Josh Richardson added 12 points and seven rebounds, while T. Hardaway Jr. and Jalen Brunson each scored 12 points for Dallas, which shot 42.5% from 36 of 85 attempts from the field.

Dorian Finney-Smith chipped in with 11 points eight boards, three assists and two steals in the victory.

Cameron Johnson finished with 15 points for Phoenix and Deandre Ayton had 13 points and eight boards for the Suns who were 38 for 79 from the field for 48.1%.

Phoenix led by a point after the first quarter and then increased the gap to 53-45 at halftime.

A pair of Doncic gave Dallas a 62-61 lead with 5:53 left in the third quarter but the Suns outscored the visitors 16-9 afterward to close out the quarter with a 77-71 lead.

[NBA Full Game Highlights] From Last Game Night; Celtics, Suns And 76ers Among Winners – Dec. 24

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Dallas Mavericks: Travel to face the Lakers on Christmas Day.

Phoenix Suns: Travel to face Sacramento on Saturday.

Phoenix Suns vs. Dallas Mavericks Stats

DALLAS (102)

Finney-Smith 4-11 2-2 11, Hardaway Jr. 3-10 3-6 12, Powell 1/3 0-0 2, Doncic 11-26 10-12 32, Richardson 5-11 0-0 12, J.Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Kleber 2-8 4-4 10, Cauley-Stein 1-1 0-0 2, Brunson 5-8 2-2 12, Burke 3-6 0-0 7, Green 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 36-85 21-26 102.

PHOENIX (106)

Bridges 5-11 4-4 18, Crowder 1-6 1-2 4, Ayton 5-9 3-6 13, Booker 8-15 4-6 22, Paul 3-9 2-2 8, C.Johnson 5-9 4-4 15, Smith 2/3 0-2 4, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Carter 0-3 0-0 0, Galloway 4-5 1-1 11, Payne 5-9 0-0 11. Totals 38-79 19-27 106.

3-Point Goals–Dallas 9-37 (Hardaway Jr. 3-8, Kleber 2-7, Richardson 2-7, Finney-Smith 1-6, Brunson 0-2, Doncic 0-6), Phoenix 11-30 (Bridges 4-7, Galloway 2-2, Booker 2-6, Payne 1-2, C.Johnson 1-3, Crowder 1-5, Paul 0-2, Carter 0-3). Fouled Out–None. Rebounds–Dallas 39 (Doncic, Finney-Smith 8), Phoenix 48 (Crowder 9). Assists–Dallas 17 (Doncic 5), Phoenix 21 (Paul 5). Total Fouls–Dallas 23, Phoenix 26. A–0 (18,422)