PHOENIX — Dallas guard Raymond Felton scored 18 points and the Mavericks broke open a close game with a 41-11 run over the second and third quarters to pound the Phoenix Suns 111-95 in the season opener for both teams Wednesday.
Guard Deron Williams and forward Dwight Powell added 12 points for Dallas, who had eight players in double figures — all of whom contributed to blowing the game open. The Mavericks closed the second quarter on a 14-4 run and opened the third quarter with a 29-11 spurt to lead by 27 points at 83-56 with 5:12 left.
Guard Brandon Knight had 15 points and reserves Jon Leuer and Devin Booker had 14 each for the Suns, who shot 39 percent from the field and missed 18 of 24 3-pointers including 13 of their first 16 in the first half. Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said before the game he expect this team, with seven new players, to shoot better and play better defense. Neither happened Wednesday.
The Suns used a 12-2 run to pull within 14 at 92-78 on a jumper by guard Eric Bledsoe with just over eight minutes left. But the Mavericks answered with seven straight points in less than a minute, with Felton’s 3-pointer restoring the Dallas lead to 21 at 99-78 with 6:54 left.
Williams, who overcame a brief scare with a left knee injury in the third quarter, had eight first-quarter points and the Mavericks led by as many as five in the first quarter, despite missing 17 of 26 shots from the field. Knight led the Suns with eight points and set up Leuer for a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer to pull the Suns within 24-22.
Phoenix missed 13 of 16 3-pointers in the first half and seven straight during the middle of the second quarter, but still managed to tie the game at 40 when guard Archie Goodwin followed two free throws with a 3-pointer with 4:04 left. But the Mavericks ended the half on a 14-4 run, including five of forward Charlie Villanueva’s 10 points in the quarter. Two free throws by guard Devin Harris with 40 seconds left gave Dallas its biggest lead and a 54-45 advantage at the half.
The Suns never got closer than that the rest of the way.
NOTES: Dirk Nowitzki and Dallas GM Donnie Nelson are both expected to return to Phoenix on Friday when the Suns induct Steve Nash into the team’s Ring of Honor. Nash and Nowitzki are close friends and Nelson was in Phoenix when the Suns brought Nash back from Dallas in 2004. … Dallas G Wesley Matthews, coming back from a torn Achilles tendon in March, started the season opener with his new team. “He’s a remarkable guy who is extremely strong willed and when he puts his mind and focus on something he just fixates on it,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “He wanted to prove to people he could get back and start the season.” … The Suns were 33-14 in their first 47 home openers and 16-7 when opening the season at home. … The Suns’ Opening Night roster featured seven new players acquired in the offseason — G Devin Booker, C Tyson Chandler, F Cory Jefferson, F Jon Leuer, G Ronnie Price, F Mirza Teletovic and G Sonny Weems.