3 Takeaways From Mavericks' Early Loss to Suns

Luka Doncic was spectacular, but Dallas still wasn't able to beat the Suns without Bradley Beal

Oct 26, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) against Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) in the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks suffered their first loss of the season to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night, falling 114-102 as the Suns played without Bradley Beal on the second night of a back-to-back. It was a great matchup between Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant, two of the greatest scorers in the NBA, but Dallas couldn't get enough help from the rest of the roster to come away with a win.

Phoenix led most of the game once they took the lead midway through the first quarter. Dallas would get the lead down to one early in the third quarter but Phoenix took off from there, leading by as much as 12 in the same quarter, and cruised to the finish.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday night's loss.

READ MORE: Suns Down Mavericks, 114-102, Despite Phoenix Back-to-Back

1. Luka Doncic Still Hates the Suns

Luka Doncic lit up the Suns for 40 points and 10 rebounds. The biggest takeaway was his free-throw shooting, where he was an efficient 11/12. He averaged over 40 PPG against the Suns last season and has been a killer against them since the 2022 Western Conference Finals. Doncic did just about everything he could to win this game but didn't get enough help from the rest of the roster. The back-and-forth trash talk with him and Kevin Durant was as entertaining as it gets.

2. The Supporting Cast Has to Improve

Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson played well enough, combining for 81 points and shooting 28/63 (44.4%) from the floor and 12/30 (40%) from three. Everyone else on the Mavs combined for 21 points, shooting 9/30 (30%) from the floor and 1/11 (9%) from three. That's just not good enough against the Suns, who have an explosive offense. The depth was supposed to be a big reason for this team's success, and it cost them in this game.

3. Maxi Kleber's Health is a Liability

Maxi Kleber left the game with a right hamstring injury, the same hamstring that forced him to miss 35 games in the 2022-23 season. Since the 2019-20 season, when he played in every available game, he's played in 191 of a possible 320 regular season games. For a player making near-starter money, he's not available nearly as much as Dallas needs him to. The idea of Kleber is great, as someone with defensive versatility and can stretch from three, but his hesitation to shoot and the injury concerns are starting to make him a liability.

READ MORE: Klay Thompson Says Luka Doncic's Skillset 'Doesn't Make Any Sense'

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