Preview: Mavs open season tonight in Phoenix

DALLAS MAVERICKS (0-0) at PHOENIX SUNS (0-0)

When: 9 p.m., Wednesday

Where: Footprint Center, Phoenix

TV: BSSW, ESPN

Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

What you need to know: This is the regular season opener for both teams, and it’s also the first meeting since the Mavs upset the Suns in seven games in last season’s Western Conference semifinals. The Mavs won Game 7 in Phoenix in stunning fashion, 123-90. At halftime of that game, the Mavs led 57-27, and Luka Doncic had as many points as the Suns’ team at that juncture. Doncic finished with 35 points and 10 rebounds in 30 minutes, while Spencer Dinwiddie came off the bench to pour in 30 points in only 25 minutes. . .The Mavs were 19-of-39 from 3-point range for 48.7 percent in Game 7, with Doncic going 6-of-11 from downtown while Dinwiddie was 5-of-7 from behind the 3-point line. . .The Mavs finished last season with the fifth-best record in the NBA at 52-30 and lost to the eventual world champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals in five games. . .Over the offseason the Mavs picked up former Suns center JaVale McGee via free agency, former Houston Rockets center Christian Wood in a trade, and rookie guard Jaden Hardy in a draft day trade. On Tuesday, the Mavs also signed guard Facundo Campazzo to a one-year contract. Campazzo was a Real Madrid teammate of Doncic when they won the 2018 EuroLeague championship, and he also played the past two seasons for the Denver Nuggets. . .The Mavs will start Doncic and Dinwiddie in the backcourt, Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock at the forward spots, and McGee in the middle. . .Guard Frank Ntilikina (right ankle effusion) did not travel to Phoenix, center Maxi Kleber (non-Covid illness) is questionable, and forward Davis Bertans (right knee effusion) will not dress tonight. . .The Mavs are 22-20 all-time in season openers, including 9-11 on the road. . .The Suns are – again – considered one of the top teams in the NBA. With a 64-18 record last year, Phoenix was the only team in the NBA to win at least 60 games. But that all went for naught after the Suns blew a 3-2 best-of-seven lead against the Mavs and lost that series . . .The Suns are led by Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson. Last season Booker averaged 26.8 ppg, Ayton averaged 17.2 ppg and 10.2 rpg, Paul averaged 14.7 ppg and led the NBA with 10.8 apg, Bridges averaged 14.2 ppg, and Johnson averaged 12.5 ppg.

Twitter: @DwainPrice