PHOENIX — The NBA season is officially underway – and the Phoenix Suns are competing the second half of a back-to-back in the 2024-25 home debut against a familiar rival in the Dallas Mavericks.
The Suns are coming off of a disappointing second half collapse against the Los Angeles Lakers last night and have been rewarded with the 2024 Western Conference champions tonight.
The Mavericks will undoubtedly pose a substantial challenge – but victory is still attainable, especially if Phoenix can capitalize on even two of the three keys to the game that we will explore below.
This is an instance where Phoenix almost certainly has to outdo Dallas at their own game in order to come out on top after 48 minutes compared to attemtping to contrast.
Dallas got 102 shots up – including 44 three-point looks – in their victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.
The trio of Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, and Klay Thompson accounted for 28 of those 44 attempts – the three are sure to continue the aggressive approach tonight against a squad that has shown to be susceptible in certain moments during games to this point.
Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal must attempt around 25 threes between the three of them. Royce O’Neale, Tyus Jones, and Grayson Allen (if he plays) must supplement the star-studded trio.
While the Suns’ offense appears to be much more connected and flows more naturally this season, there have been points in games where turnovers run abound. The Suns have to run an intentional, fast-paced attack without steering into reckless tonight.
The Suns were around the middle of the pack in many basic rebounding stats and advanced metrics last season.
They have been near the bottom through two games this year – ranking 29th in offensive rebound % and 27th in second-chance points per John Voita of Bright Side of the Sun.
The frontcourt trio of Jusuf Nurkic, Mason Plumlee, and Oso Ighodaro simply haven’t been good enough on that front thus far. They have to be tonight when facing Dereck Lively II, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford.
The supplementary team rebounding simply has to be better as well – Kevin Durant, Royce O’Neale, and even Ryan Dunn have been decent enough, but others need to stand out in this game as well in an effort to prevent second-chance opportunities from Dallas while also looking to generate those same chances for themselves.
The UVA product clearly had some anxious moments in his league debut on Wednesday, but managed to settle in last night in only 14 minutes.
Dunn posted 9 points on 3-for-5 from behind the arc while posting a +8 and playing fearless defense against a revamped Lakers’ offense.
Dunn has to factor into the rotation in an even more sizable role tonight – especially with the Doncic/Irving dynamic in play.
Dunn’s shocking ability to space the floor has made playing him all the more palpable when combined with his dynamic athleticism, relentless POA attacking, off-ball anticipation, and ability to create turnovers.
Dunn won’t be afraid to take on the Doncic assignment tonight – and it’s very possible that Phoenix will need him to do just that.
Former American tennis professionals John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, John Isner, and Sam Querrey will play in the 2026 Dallas Open All-American Classic, the tournament announced Monday.
The exhibition event will take place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2026 ahead of the tournament’s main draw beginning on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.
“We’re thrilled to bring together four beloved American tennis stars for what promises to be an unforgettable evening of entertainment,” said Dallas Open tournament director Peter Lebedevs in a news release.
McEnroe, 66, is a former world No. 1 in both doubles and singles and the only men’s player to ever hold both simultaneously. He has won multiple major titles in both with 7 singles majors, 9 doubles majors and one mixed doubles major.
Roddick, 43, is a former world No. 1 who won his only career major at the 2003 U.S. Open. He played in four other major finals (one at the U.S. Open and three at Wimbledon) losing them all to his rival Roger Federer.
“The Dallas Open has quickly become one of the premier events on the ATP Calendar,” Roddick said. ”I’m honored to play alongside these guys and be part of the night. We all know how to compete and have fun on the court, which is what this night is all about.”
Isner, 40, is a Dallas resident and former top-10 singles player with 16 career ATP titles. He was known for his powerful serve, which averaged about 140 mph, but which went over 155 mph on occasion. He’s also played in the longest tennis match of all time, winning over five sets and 183 games against Nicolas Mahut that took 11 hours and five minutes across three days at Wimbledon in 2010.
Querrey, 38, peaked at No. 11 in the men’s singles rankings, winning 10 career titles and having a career-best majors finish at the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2017.
Tennis fans will also recognize the quartet from their contributions in the media after retirement. McEnroe is a prominent tennis commentator for ESPN at major tournaments. Roddick hosts the “Served” podcast while Isner and Querrey are part of the “Nothing Major Show.”
Tickets for the exhibition are available with prices around $100.
The ATP-500 level Dallas Open tournament is set to feature top-ranked Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton as well as top-level Europeans in Casper Ruud and Grigor Dimitrov. It will take place from Feb. 7 to Feb. 15, 2026 in Frisco.
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The Dallas Wings once again have the first overall pick after winning the 2026 Draft Lottery on Sunday evening. The 2026 WNBA Draft isn’t scheduled until Monday, April 13th, so there is a lot of time for the Wings to evaluate the draft class, but also explore other options for the pick.
Could the Dallas Wings explore trading the first overall pick? It’s certainly not out of the question, and Wings GM Curt Miller is at least open to the idea.
Drake Keeler of IX Sports reported that Wings GM Curt Miller said he he “already received more calls about potential trades for the #1 pick in the upcoming draft than he did in the lead-up to the 2025 draft.” But a lot of that is due to the talent available at the top of the draft.
“The Cailtin Clark draft, there was not going to be a trade, Paige [Bueckers] was not going to be traded, but it will be interesting, and it makes our job fun to listen to those phone calls that come in for the #1 pick. And we’ll do what’s best for our franchise.” Miller said.
Miller is saying that every team knew that they wouldn’t have traded the Paige Bueckers pick last year, and the Indiana Fever wouldn’t have traded the Caitlin Clark pick. Those were generational superstars from the moment they entered college, and the star power and popularity alone would’ve made it hard to trade those picks. The Indiana Fever are the most popular team in the WNBA because of Clark, and no team saw more social media growth this year than the Wings because of Bueckers.
Curt Miller said he’s already received more calls about potential trades for the #1 pick in the upcoming draft than he did in the leadup to the 2025 draft.
— Drake (@DrakeKeeler) November 24, 2025
READ MORE: Dallas Wings win WNBA Draft lottery, will pick No. 1 for second straight year
As of now, there is no player that is a lock to go first overall, but there are plenty of players who could be considered, including Lauren Betts, Awa Fam, Azzi Fudd, Ta’Niya Latson, and Olivia Miles. If it stays like that all year, and unless the Wings fall in love with a particular player, trading down a few spots may be a great opportunity to gain future draft capital.
If they enter the draft saying “We’d be happy with any of these three players,” they should trade back to the third pick, if the opportunity presents itself and the capital makes sense.
They could also use the pick to trade for a readymade star. A lot of players around the WNBA are entering free agency this offseason, which Miller says having Bueckers and the first pick will be a huge draw in free agency, but the Wings can also be aggressive in trades because of the pick.
READ MORE: Paige Bueckers praised by Cooper Flagg after support at recent Mavericks games
Stick with WingsGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Wings throughout the offseason.
We’ve got a good old-fashioned NFC East rivalry matchup in store for “America’s Game of the Week” on Sunday.
The Eagles (8-2) and the Cowboys (4-5-1) meet up in Texas for the latest installment of one of the NFL’s top rivalries. Philadelphia won the first game between these two teams to open the season back in September, taking down Dallas in a game that was much closer than many expected.
However, the Eagles have largely looked the part of a defending Super Bowl champion since that game. They enter Sunday’s tilt as the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The Cowboys, however, have had a bumpy year. They have a tough hill to climb to make the postseason, but it seems possible with newcomer Quinnen Williams leading an improved defensive unit.
Will Philly maintain control of the NFC, or can Dallas start a winning streak and make a playoff push?
Follow along for Sunday’s highlights!
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