3 Duds, 2 studs from Mavericks' sloppy first loss against Suns

2. Stud - Luka Doncic

One player who has had no problem replicating his success from last season is Luka Doncic. The Dallas Mavericks' all-star elevated his performance from Thursday. He was the only Mav to score above 30 points.

The Mavs' guard poured in a double-double with 40 points and 10 rebounds on 48 percent shooting. At halftime, Doncic had 23 points and five rebounds. He did a great job finding scoring opportunities from all over the field. He could knock down step-back 3-pointers or attack the basket to create free-throw opportunities.

Saturday's performance was a step up from Thursday. Doncic seemed rusty as he hadn't played all preseason. He scored 28 points while shooting 36 percent from the field.

Doncic also did a great setting up his teammates. He could drive to the lane and dish out the ball to create various opportunities. He had two options, either dish the ball down low to one of his bigs or find Klay Thompson on the perimeter for a 3-point attempt.

Last season, Luka averaged a league-high 33.9 points per game. This season, he is averaging 34 points per game.

His success will be detrimental to Dallas bouncing back on Tuesday against the Utah Jazz.