Suns begin regular season at home against Mavericks on ESPN
Dec 2, 2020, 1:33 PM
(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
For the second time in three seasons, the Phoenix Suns begin the year facing the Dallas Mavericks at home.
The Dec. 23 game will take place at 8:30 p.m. and will be nationally televised on ESPN. The rest of the Suns’ schedule has not been announced.
The matchup pits No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton against his fellow 2018 NBA draftmate Luka Doncic. Ayton is averaging 17.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game over his first two seasons, while Doncic recently made First Team All-NBA in just his second season.
The night will feature a few firsts, including Chris Paul’s opening game as a member of the Suns. It’ll also be the first regular-season game at the Suns’ recently renovated arena. The team has not stated yet if fans will be allowed in the arena.
The Suns began this season’s version of training camp on Tuesday, which starts with strictly individual workouts for a few days before group settings begin to be implemented. Phoenix’s preseason gets underway on Dec. 12, with two games in Utah against the Jazz before a pair at home hosting the Los Angeles Lakers. The preseason finale on Dec. 18 will also be on ESPN.