NBA: Ayton wins duel with Doncic – Booker shines

The Dallas Mavericks have suffered a clear defeat with the Phoenix Suns. At the 121:100, Suns-Guard Devin Booker was outstanding, especially in the fourth quarter. Top-Pick Deandre Ayton was also convincing and won the duel of the rookies against Luka Doncic. Dirk Nowitzki was missing injured, while Maxi Kleber stayed out of the field perfectly.

As expected, the Mavs had to do without Harrison Barnes (strained right thigh) and Dirk Nowitzki (left ankle surgery), but Rookie Luka Doncic, who started as Power Forward like in the preseason, was able to make his debut, even if it wasn’t really satisfying. The Slovenian (3rd pick) duelled with another top rookie of this year’s drafts, Deandre Ayton (1st pick). Both got off to a good start, but the Big Man finally made his mark on the game.

Jamal Crawford was not on the scene after signing a one-year contract with the Suns. Igor Kokoskov’s team took the lead early on and dominated the first quarter with 37:24. The players’ throws from downtown worked particularly well, 6 out of 10 attempts found their way into the basket. With the Mavs, on the other hand, this was the biggest problem in the initial phase (1/10).

Devin Booker managed far too easily to attack the basket, and Ayton got in a fight with DeAndre Jordan in the mail. Although he showed respect, the 20-year-old scored well out of the field (8/11 FG for 18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists) and proved, among other things, that he has a solid jump shot. Trevor Ariza (newcomer from Houston) surprised with his accuracy and had 14 points at half time, he sank 4 of 6 threes. Then the Small Forward continued his strong performance and finally scored 21 points (5/9 three) and 6 assists as well as 6 rebounds on paper. The Ayton booker duo finished the first half with 23 points (9/15 FG).

For the Mavs, Maxi Kleber (8, 3/3 FG in 17 minutes) started confidently into the game, the first two threes he transformed and was the only Dallas player who could improve the miserable odds from outside a little. His highlight of the game: An Alley-Oop-Dunk after a pass by J.J. Barea in the last part of the game.

Doncic could not place any of his five attempts in the basket and only shot 5/16 FG for 10 points. After all, he got 8 boards and scored 4 goals. Dwight Powell was the best thrower of his team with 16 points (6/8 FG), while Jordan delivered the most successful overall performance with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Unfortunately, the center cooled down a bit, because at halftime it was already at 11 and 8.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver sat in the audience and watched the Mavs finally lose in Phoenix. It looked as if the Suns were going to lose control towards the end and let the Dallas team come back, but Booker put a spoke in their wheelhouse. The Shooting Guard scored 14 points in a row and secured the victory for his boys. With 35 points (12/19 FG, plus 7 assists) he was also the top scorer in this duel.