1. DONCIC PICKED UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF: This just in. For those of you who haven’t realized it, Luka Doncic is really, really good. Like, MVP-type good. Picking up where he left off last year when he was the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, Doncic ran circles around the Wizards, dazzling fans with his brand of wizardry with plays that would make a magician proud. Doncic finished his magnetic night with 34 points – one off his career high – nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in 34 minutes. The point-a-minute man also was a sharp 12-of-19 from the field, 4-of-9 from 3-point range and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. In other words, the Mavs are in good shape whenever Doncic has the ball in his capable hands.

2. PORZINGIS CHECKED ALL BOXES: Kristaps Porzingis hadn’t played in a regular season game in over 20 months, but you sure couldn’t tell it from the way he played in Wednesday’s opener. Sure, there was some natural rust Porzingis had to knock off because of the long time he’s been away from the game. And that happened early when he missed his first four shots. But the alarm bells were quickly silenced for good as the 7-3 forward made seven of his final 12 shots and wound up collecting 23 points, four boards and two assists. Overall, Porzingis was 3-of-7 from 3-point territory and would like us to stop asking him about the surgery he had on Feb. 13, 2018 to repair his tore left anterior cruciate ligament, because he said he is completely fine.

3. JACKSON MADE THE MOST OF HIS ACTION: It didn’t take Justin Jackson long to assert himself as the player who could possibly wind up being the Mavs’ No. 3 scorer this season behind Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. In rapid-like fashion, Jackson came off the bench and produced a whole lot of action in a short period of time. The third-year forward from North Carolina had 10 points, grabbed four rebounds, handed out a pair of assists, and was 4-of-6 from the field in only 19 minutes. In essence, Jackson was doing what coaches want players to do when they’re in the game. He was making his presence felt, getting things done and was a factor all game long.

4. FINNEY-SMITH SOLID AS A ROCK: Sometimes the things Dorian Finney-Smith does on the court tend to get lost among all the glitz and glamour that’s hovering around him. Case in point: Did anyone notice that of the 22 players who played in Wednesday’s regular season opener, the player with the highest plus/minus ratio was Finney-Smith with a plus 18? Translation: When Finney-Smith was on the court, things were happening for the Mavs in a very positive way, as he finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Another thing that also went unnoticed – Finney-Smith went to the free throw line a game-high tying eight times, and he made seven of them. That’s the most free throws Finney-Smith has ever attempted in a game during his four-year career.

5. FANS WERE ROWDY, PROUD AND LOUD: One of the Mavs’ signature lines is for their fans to be rowdy, proud and loud. That was definitely on display Wednesday as the sellout crowd of 19,816 was very loud from the opening tip all the way until the end of the game. Certainly, the Mavs gave the crowd plenty to cheer about. Following an early 17-10 deficit, the Mavs took control of the game by going on a 23-6 run that had fans in a tizzy. And when Bradley Beal decided he wanted to challenge Luka Doncic in the fourth quarter with some hard-nosed defense, the fans were roaring their approval every step of the way. In short, if the opener is any indication, American Airlines Center should be a very good home-court advantage this season.

Twitter: @DwainPrice

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