Chris Paul And Devin Booker Struggle In Debut, Still Beat Luka's Mavericks In Opener

Not the offensive night Chris Paul or Devin Booker had in mind, but the Phoenix Suns still got it done over the Dallas Mavericks by a score of 106-102. Luka Doncic poured in 32 of his own, and even though he was inefficient, he still kept Dallas in the game late. That's when Book and CP3 did their thing.

Maybe the Suns never lose again?

That now makes 288 straight days since the Phoenix Suns last lost a game. What's even better is that Chris Paul and Devin Booker could play as badly as they did, and they still managed to defeat expected MVP finalist Luka Doncic. Booker finishes with 22, which is nothing for him, while his sidekick Chris Paul chipped in just eight points. Their poor offensive night didn't matter though because this Phoenix team is for real--the whole roster.

Yes, it's just one game, but that Paul-Booker duo was noticeably lethal in "closing time." Ya know, when it actually matters. And for young teams like the Phoenix Suns, winning time (the final 2:00 of the game) is when they normally make most of their mistakes. The addition of Chris Paul should mean the bonehead errors that used to transform easy wins into gut wrenching losses may now be coming to an end.

Players of the game

Cam Johnson- The second-year forward packed a punch off the bench with 15 desperately needed points. These weren't garbage time layups with the starters out of the game. His contributions and shot making in general came while Devin Booker and Chris Paul disappeared for more than half of the contest.

Mikal Bridges- A bit of a forgotten contributor in Phoenix after the addition of Chris Paul, but he served as Cam Johnson's running mate tonight with 18 points of his own. Foul trouble kept his teammates on the bench for long spurts, and Bridges didn't seem to care. He was a one-man defensive wrecking crew. The team effort he and Cam Johnson put together made Luka Doncic's night exhausting and inefficient (11-26 from the field).

No one's going to believe the Phoenix Suns are truly back until they punch their ticket to the 2021 playoffs. That's fair, but don't forget that playoff teams have a certain look when their best players don't have it going. At least for tonight, Phoenix showed everything they could to make us believe.

Their next game is Saturday against the Sacramento Kings, so fasten your seat belt for that one.