The Phoenix Suns had a memorable 2022-23 season opener on Wednesday night, erasing a 22-point deficit to take down the Dallas Mavericks 107-105 in a wild finish at Footprint Center.
It was the Suns’ largest comeback win since 2017.
Dallas led 67-45 at one point in the third quarter, and 93-80 with eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Damion Lee — playing in his first game for the Suns after winning an NBA championship in June with the Golden State Warriors — scored 11 points off the bench and made what would serve as the game-winning bucket with 9.7 seconds remaining. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic — who scored a game-high 35 points — tried a three-pointer for the win but came up short.
Devin Booker led the way in scoring for Phoenix with 28 points, and he tied teammate Chris Paul for a game-high in assists with nine.
A controversial moment came with 1:38 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Suns leading by four, as the officiating crew gave Doncic a very questionable technical foul. Booker made the free throw to give the Suns a five-point lead.
This was the first NBA game for the Suns since the Mavericks walloped them 123-90 in Phoenix in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals. So, while this won’t erase the heartbreak and frustration for Phoenix, Wednesday’s win had a revenge element to it.
Here’s a peek at how the NBA world is reacting to the Suns’ comeback win:
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.