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2020-21 Mavericks’ Flashback: December 23rd vs Phoenix Suns

For the first game of the regular season, the Mavericks played the Suns

NBA: Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The season is over for the Dallas Mavericks. Now, all eyes are on the offseason and August 2nd when teams can begin negotiating with free agents.

But we of all people know that waiting for the next big free agent to sign with the Mavericks can be stressful. And basketball should be fun. We also know the real Mavericks basketball junkies can’t wait until October when the 2021-22 season is supposed to start. This is why we’ll do flashback posts, to relive some of the fun and forgotten moments of the past season.

What happened

The Mavericks lost the season opener, 106-102 to the Phoenix Suns. Luka Dončić scored 32 points for the Mavericks, but Chris Paul and Devin Booker torched Dallas in the clutch.

First fun moment

‘Chubby’ Luka showed why his post-up game will be a big part of his 2020-2021 offensive arsenal. Dončić finished the season scoring 1.092 points per possession on post-ups, which ranked him in 84 percentile in the NBA. In this play, he just bullies one of the premier NBA defenders in Mikal Bridges.

Second fun moment

With 8:21 left in the second quarter, Rick Carlisle drew this nice ATO (after time out) play. It was a “strong twirl” play, where there is a stagger screen on the sideline and the wing ‘twirls’ between the screens. This was the first NBA basket for the Mavericks’ rookie Josh Green.

On to the next one!