Mavs (0-0) @ Suns (0-0) Season Opener 10:00pm ET

[GermanStandard]

DALLAS (AP) Dirk Nowitzki will take the floor in Phoenix for the opener of his 18th season with Dallas and say hello to beloved former teammate Tyson Chandler.

The Mavericks superstar has done this before, after winning the franchise's only championship with Chandler in 2011 and watching him move on to the New York Knicks.

The circumstances are just about as difficult this time, since Chandler came back to Dallas for a season in a trade but quickly signed with the Suns in free agency before the Mavericks' ill-fated pursuit of DeAndre Jordan ended with him reneging on a promise to sign and staying with the Los Angeles Clippers.

"He's going to be fired up. That's Tyson," Nowitzki said of Wednesday's opener. "But so is everybody else. This is the season opener. For them it's the home opener. Everybody's going to be juiced up."

Dallas finally gets to put a disheartening summer to rest after the Jordan reversal, but faces the difficult task of competing in the Western Conference with another retooled roster that is only now getting everybody on the court together while still missing Chandler Parsons.

Deron Williams is playing for his hometown team three years after spurning the Mavericks in free agency to stay with the Nets for the move from New Jersey to Brooklyn. The point guard didn't make his Dallas debut until doing so alongside new shooting guard Wesley Matthews in the final preseason game Friday against Chicago in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Williams battled calf issues in camp, a chronic problem for him. And Matthews is returning sooner than expected after tearing an Achilles tendon against the Mavericks when he was with Portland last March.

"It's difficult, but we're veteran guys who had a lot of years in this league," Williams said. "Hopefully it will take less of an adjustment period. I feel like we have a great chemistry already in just the couple of practices we've had together as a whole."

Point guard Brandon Knight starts his first full season in Phoenix after he was part of a busy trade deadline last season that sent Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas elsewhere. Those deals came during a disappointing year after the Suns were one of the surprises in 2013-14 and almost ended what is now a five-year playoff drought.

In addition to rebounding and defense, Chandler was brought in for leadership with a mostly young roster.

"Having a young team can have some benefits as far as athleticism, endurance, being able to get up and down the court," Chandler said. "With our depth, I feel like we've got to come at teams in waves."

As training camp wrapped up, the Mavericks faced the possibility of three starters being sidelined in Williams, Matthews and Parsons. But now Parsons is the only one missing, and there is no timetable for his debut coming off surgery on a right knee issue that sidelined him for all but one game in a five-game, first-round playoff loss to Houston last season.

"It's not going to be something where we say, one day, we're healthy and we don't have to work with it anymore," said Rick Carlisle, who needs two wins to surpass Don Nelson as the winningest coach in franchise history. "It's going to be a daily ritual. Guys that are in the process of coming back, are back, you name it, it's all going to be live all year long."

It won't be easy in a conference that might require 50 wins to make the playoffs.

"The West is tough," said Williams, who spent his first five-plus seasons with Utah. "But I feel like my game is suited for the West. This is where I learned to play was in the West, that up-tempo style."

And now Chandler is a West rival for Dallas.

Key Matchups:

Zaza vs. Chandler
Deron vs. Knight
Wes vs. Bledsoe

If the Suns are clicking early and Tyson destroying the glass i dont see us winning this.

Deron and Wes arent 100% and will be rusty i suppose.

Need to take advantage of Turnover Prone Bledsoe and Knight and keep them out of the Lane.

[Five-ofan]

Think dirk has a big year this year if the perimeter three stay remotely healthy. Think sermon has an absolutely monster year if he stays healthy. Hope we get it off to a good start.

[CGM]

Tonight, the 0-7 preseason turns into a 7-0 season start for the Mavs, and the Sons is victim # 1:

Mavs - 111
Sons - 107

* The Mavs bench players WILL eclipse the Suns' benchies....

[helmsclam]

i`m always optimistic...but that is a pipedream...

[FreshJive]

So what do you guys think about minutes for players? Is Dirk ready for his usual 30? Deron and Wes 15-20? Is Zaza able to go 35+ or will they actually use Powell or Mejeri for big minutes in a regular season game vs the likes of Chandler and Len?

[Underdog]

Man, it's gonna suck to be a Suns fan tonight! (I mean, more than it usually does...)

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Five-ofan

Think dirk has a big year this year if the perimeter three stay remotely healthy. Think sermon has an absolutely monster year if he stays healthy. Hope we get it off to a good start.

I too, am looking forward to sermon and his monster year.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

I too, am looking forward to sermon and his monster year.

Pardon my ignorance but who is sermon??

[Kante]

So, does Felton get the start instead of Parsons?

Got ILP for the first time since 4 years or so. Nice to see the option of choosing your commentary.

[FreshJive]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

Pardon my ignorance but who is sermon??

Erick Sermon EPMD

[bunkmoreland]

Originally Posted by GermanStandard

DALLAS (AP)
"Having a young team can have some benefits as far as athleticism, endurance, being able to get up and down the court," Chandler said. "With our depth, I feel like we've got to come at teams in waves.".

Tyson thinks the Suns have depth. That is so sweet!

[FreshJive]

Originally Posted by bunkmoreland

Tyson thinks the Suns have depth. That is so sweet!

He could be talking about Len. Unlike last year with the Mavs, he can go all out knowing he won't be required to carry the team at the position for the entire game all season long.

[sefant77]

Tyson thinks he is playing more than 50 games...lol

[dirt_dobber]

excited for a new season.
Going to enjoy seeing my Mavs open a can of whoop-ass on the Suns tonight.
Mav 117
Suns 92

[Vinsanity]

Seems like we haven't beat the Suns in three years... that ends tonight! Dirk goes for 25, D-Will has 9 assists and Wes hits 4 threes.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by bunkmoreland

Tyson thinks the Suns have depth. That is so sweet!

Does he know their starting pf doesn't want to be on the team?

[Quetzalcoatl]

Tonight we'll loose

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

Pardon my ignorance but who is sermon??

You have no ignorance.

[Five-ofan]

Sermon=deron autocorrect

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Quetzalcoatl

Tonight we'll loose

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Five-ofan

Sermon=deron autocorrect

Yeah, I have a feeling we're going to see "Sermon" (preach!) return to form under Carlisle...

[FiZth]

Tim MacMahon ✔ @espn_macmahon
8:15 PM - 28 Oct 2015
Mavs starting five in media notes (not concrete):

PG Deron Williams
SG Raymond Felton
SF Wesley Matthews
PF Dirk Nowitzki
C Zaza Pachulia

Seems like Rick belives that 21.10 pregame against Suns when Felton scored 17 points and had +8 in loss, wasn't just his lucky day but he really gives us good match up against Suns. Didn't see the Suns preseason game but I really hoped that Jenkins has shown so much potential that he would be starting SG/SF with Wes. Lets hope he will give us good 20-30 minutes then.

[SMC0007]

Confused at why Jenkins wouldn't get the nod to start. He carried the team in the pre-season and is by far the offensive threat of the bunch.

[FiZth]

I really hope that Raymond Felton will show some game tonight because I'm really starting to get tired that this washed up 31 year old gets opportunity after opportunity without showing almost anything. But but enough about that. New season is under way and we need overachievers this year.

[sefant77]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Confused at why Jenkins wouldn't get the nod to start. He carried the team in the pre-season and is by far the offensive threat of the bunch.

[EricaLubarsky]

Suns are a terrible matchup for us. They have no shooting but abuse teams inside. We have absolutely no inside presence other than Mejri, with McGer injured and Zaza without any ability to block shots.

I fully expect a loss, which means Mathews is dropping 45 on 15/18 from three

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Never thought I'd see Raymond Felton as the starting two guard, but I'll hold judgement until after the game.

Jenkins better get minutes since he earned them.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Confused at why Jenkins wouldn't get the nod to start. He carried the team in the pre-season and is by far the offensive threat of the bunch.

Because Jenkins is the new JET -- he'll likely be our primary scorer in the 2nd unit.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Powell will be playing a big role until McGee gets healthy. If he flourishes, then this team's future is much brighter.

[CGM]

[BPo001]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Because Jenkins is the new JET -- he'll likely be our primary scorer in the 2nd unit.

This. I think Jenkins is our 6th man this year.

[NeedlesKane]

I feel like Jenkins has a lot of potential. I love how he is only 24. He's our greatest steal this offseason.

[yahyes]

The last years of Dirk. Ready to see what the Mavs can do. Let's go!

[Skywalker]

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOO

[Skywalker]

link: http://www.nbastream.net/dallas-mave...ve-stream.html

[sefant77]

Talking Stick Resort Arena....what a joke

[sefant77]

btw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwrstxuicZk

[yahyes]

Interesting

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Am I the only one who feels like Dallas is the only team that ever gets delay of game warnings?

Nice start so far.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Deron was flawless outside of that one turnover.