MVP candidate Luka Doncic and the Mavericks kick off the 2020-2021 season in the desert tonight against the Phoenix Suns. Here are three key things to watch for heading into the season opener:

The Chris Paul experiment in Phoenix 
The Suns open this season with more expectations than they have in probably at least a decade thanks to the addition of future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul this offseason. That big move followed their surprising run in the Orlando Bubble where they went 8-0, including two victories over the Mavs, but still fell just short of the postseason.

Adding Paul to form a trio with 2018 number one overall pick DeAndre Ayton and scoring savant Devin Booker certainly makes the Suns a sexier team on paper, but does it automatically make them a playoff team in the loaded West?

Even with the Suns run in the bubble, their final win/loss record for the 2019-2020 season was 34-39. That means they were 26-39 heading into the restart. So what are they? Just a bad team adding Chris Paul? Or perhaps a decent team that essentially broke whenever Ayton was suspended for PEDs? Either way, what Paul did with Oklahoma City last season should certainly boost the confidence that this team can have a winning record in a tough Western Conference this season while adding a leader of his quality.

Handling opposing big men without Kristaps Porzingis 
It’s well-documented that Kristaps Porzingis will be out until at least January as he works his way back from offseason meniscus surgery. That leaves the Mavericks a bit lean on interior defense against the game’s elite big men. Unfortunately, their first two games have them facing DeAndre Ayton tonight and Anthony Davis on Friday.

Dwight Powell is listed as the probable starter in the middle for Wednesday’s game and his track record defending elite big men is just flat out not good. Can we sit here and say that Willie Cauley-Stein or Maxi Kleber are guaranteed stoppers instead of Powell? Definitely a no on Cauley-Stein, but there is no question that Kleber is one of the best overall defensive players on the team. He’s a very versatile defender and of course a gifted shot blocker, but I don’t remember him often just being posted up and shutting people down. Mostly because that doesn’t happen a ton in the modern NBA. We’ll see what the Mavericks are able to do against Ayton tonight and Davis on Friday, but it won’t just be Dwight Powell who struggles to contain them on the offensive end.

What’s up with the Mavericks struggling against the Suns? 
The Suns haven’t made the playoffs since 2010, but that hasn’t stopped them from being a thorn in the Mavericks’ side in recent years. Between March 2017 and December 2018, the Suns won seven straight matchups with Dallas. Last season, Phoenix took three of four games and two of them by over 25 points. The Mavericks are 1-4 in their last five trips to Phoenix and it’s just always an odd scene with the late tip-off.

Add in that Chris Paul has always played well against the Mavericks (his career splits in PPG, APG, FG% and 3P% are all higher against Dallas than his regular career averages) and this should be a very tough matchup for Dallas throughout the season.

In the already revealed first half schedule, Dallas will play Phoenix two more times. The Mavs will host the Suns in back-to-back games on January 30th and February 1st.

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Tip-off is set for 9:30 PM tonight on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN.