PHOENIX – For the second straight season on opening night, Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II outplayed his more heralded
competition – San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama.
In the Mavs’ 120-109 win over the Spurs on Thursday, Lively came off the bench to contribute 15 points, a game-high 11 rebounds and a career-high tying six assists. On the flip side, Wembanyama struggled and finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and was a frosty 5-of-18 from the floor.
During the Spurs’ 126-119 season-opening victory over the Spurs last year, Lively finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds and was 7-of-8 from the field, while Wembanyama wound up with 15 points and five boards and was 6-of-9 from the floor.
Still, Lively – who got plenty of assistance from Daniel Gafford in showing down Wembanyama — was not flexing his muscles after out-playing the player many consider to be a generational player.
“He definitely proved himself last year,” Lively said of Wembanyama, who was last season’s NBA Rookie of the Year. “He’s a great player, so whenever he’s on the court you’ve got to acknowledge he’s there.”
Wembanyama was the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft, while Lively was the 12th overall selection last season. So, that aspect along fuels the fire in Lively.
“Just having that co
mpetitiveness, having that will to win just makes the game that much more fun,” Lively said. “Having some of the best players out there makes the game go that much better.”
For the Mavs, the addition of Klay Thompson also made Thursday’s game go that much better. In his debut with the Mavs, Thompson tallied points and was red-hot 6-of-10 from three-point range. The six threes are the most by a player in his first game with the Mavs.
“A couple of shots go in, you see him finally getting comfortable in the (American Airlines Center), so you love that,” Lively said. “Seeing that in the first game just means it’s going to be a long season for the league.”
Game two of the 82-game regular season for the Mavs is at 9 tonight in Phoenix against the Suns. And Lively hopes Thompson is as hot on Saturday as he was against the Spurs.
“Sometimes you’re going to have people in the corner, sometimes you’re going to have an empty corner, but Klay just finds his gaps,” Lively said. “There’s a lot more plays we can run, a lot of different things we can run, so it just makes t
he paint wide open and we’re going to be able to move the ball and get shots.”
And while the Mavs are moving the ball around the perimeter, that bodes well for Lively as he tries to take control of things inside the paint.
“I saw almost everything last year, so now it’s just taking everything that I’ve learned, all the things I’ve been through, all the times I failed and just try to get better,” he said. “It might not be every game I’m going to be better.
“There’s going to be bad games. You just got to be able to just take them on the chin and just move on and just try to protect your game and just learn.”
Part of that learning process for Lively – or for any player – is not to repeat things that didn’t enhance their game.
“I’m just going there and just trying to be under control as possible,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that’s going to be going on (on) the court, and (I want to) try not to be sped up.
“So, that’s why when I catch it in the paint, no matter if it’s me trying to pass or me trying to score out of the post, (I want to) just be under control. Slow down, read the game instead of being sped up as I was last year.”
Here are som
e other nuggets surrounding Saturday’s game between the Mavs and Suns.
*Mavs guard Luka Dončić collected 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists against the Spurs, while Kyrie Irving scored 15 points, and P. J. Washington and Jaden Hardy added 11 points apiece. Last year Dončić averaged 41,7 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 11.7 apg against Phoenix, and also shot 52.6 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
*This will be the home opener for the Suns, who will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back. Phoenix rallied to win in Los Angeles against the Clippers on Wednesday, 116-113, in overtime behind 25 points from Kevin Durant. But on Friday, the Suns blew a 22-point lead in LA while losing to the Lakers, 123-116, despite getting 30 points from Durant.
*The Mavs are 78-97 all-time against the Suns, including a 29-58 record during games played in Phoenix.
*Against the Lakers, the Suns made their first nine three-pointers and took a 38-23 lead into the second quarter.
*The Mavs have won the last two games they played in Phoenix, after the Suns went 10-1 in the previous home games against the Mavs.
*Suns guard Devin Booker scored 23 points on 9-of-21 shots against the Lakers after fouling out with 15 points and six assists against the Clippers. Bradley Beal finished with 15 points, nine assists and two steals for the Suns against the Lakers.
*This is the first of 70 Mavs’ regular season games that will be televised on Channel 29 during the 2024-25 season.
DALLAS MAVERICKS (1-0) AT PHOENIX SUNS (1-1)
When: 9 p.m., Saturday
Where: Footprint Center, Phoenix
TV: KFAA, Channel 29
Radio: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @DwainPrice
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