PHOENIX – Too many fouls and too many free throws by Phoenix led to the Suns putting the Dallas Mavericks ahead 114-102 before Saturday evening sold out crowd of 17,071 at the Footprint Center.

In the Suns’ home opener, Kevin Durant scored 31 points and Devin Booker added 21 points as the Suns improved to 2-1 after losing on the road to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. Meanwhile, the Mavs are now 1-1 on the season and will host the Utah Jazz on Monday at the American Airlines Center.

The Mavs were never able to gain firm control of this game as they looked out of sync too often, committing 28 fouls as the Suns converted 28 of 37 free throws.

“I thought Phoenix played well tonight,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Tonight we were low on energy for some reason, but we will address that as we move forward. It’s a marathon, not a sprint at this point.”

Luka Dončić (40 points, 10 rebounds), Kyrie Irving (22 points, five assists, three steals) and Klay Thompson (19 points, 5 of 12 three-pointers) led the way for the Mavs. But no other Mavs scored more than the seven points Daniel Gafford added.

“We’ll look at the band and see how we can get more guys involved,” Kidd said. “But those three kept us in the game, and Luka kept us in the game early. We narrowed it down to six twice. We just couldn’t get over the hump.”

The Mavs had a chance to cut the deficit to 108-102 when Naji Marshall was fouled by Jusuf Nurkic with 2:29 remaining. But Suns coach Mike Budenholzer challenged the call and subsequently won the challenge after review by an official.

Durant then buried a pair of free throws, and Booker added three more from the charity stripe to push Phoenix’s lead to 113-110 with 1:39 remaining.

“The way the game went, we made too many mistakes,” Kidd said. “They shot (37) free throws, so when you take the ball at the free throw line and pause or sit there waiting for free throws, we just couldn’t get into a rhythm.

“Give them creation. They attacked and got to the free throw line.”

The Mavs trailed 63-55 at intermission but continued to scratch and claw until they pulled within 68-67 of the Suns less than three minutes into the second half on a three-pointer from Dončić and a nifty dunk from Gafford. On the final play, Gafford passed the ball to Irving, who passed the ball back to Gafford, who hit it home.

Thompson had a message for his teammates after the loss. And it was: “To talk to each other more, especially on a defensive level. It really was. Limit our mistakes. Thirty-seven fouls – not good.”

He also reiterated how the abundance of mistakes marred the game, adding: “That’s possible, but we just have to play without making mistakes. It starts with me: four fouls, too many.”

Nurkic torched the Mavs with seven baskets in 12 attempts and plenty of physical play in the paint.

“He was just a lot more physical than us,” Gafford said. “I just fell into place and got to work, honestly.”

Gafford appreciated the 40 points and 10 rebounds Dončić collected, and his persistence in keeping the Mavs afloat.

“He does everything he needs to do when he gets on the floor,” Gafford said. “We have to be able to give him an extra push when it comes to defense because we have to be there for him in the end.

“He gives us so much, so we should be able to do the same for him. Get stops on the floor because the offense is coming our way. We just have to build our wall in front of the defensive goal.”

On his behalf, Dončić knows the Mavs looked at the basket quite a bit, but that just didn’t happen.

“I think we had some great shots, it felt like a lot of short shots,” he said. “I think we had some great looks that we would probably knock down another time.

“They were physical with us, they played great defense and only allowed about 100 points. So I think they were aggressive, and then (did) some great things. defense.”

The Mavs weren’t at their best in the first half as they committed 15 fouls and shot just 42.2 percent from the field (19 of 45). It was indeed a parade to the free throw line for the Suns, who were 12 of 17 from the charity stripe in the first half.

“Yes, I thought the recording quality was high,” Kidd said. “I thought we missed a lot of wide-open threes. In this class it sometimes happens that you get a wide open look – it doesn’t go down. But again I thought: Kai looked great, Luka looked great, and Klay had a lot going in and out.

“So for our big three, those guys had quality looks, but they just weren’t the right fit for us. I think we missed some layups again tonight, some in the paint, but that happens. But I thought the guys fought to the end again, and we just couldn’t get over the hump. So give Phoenix all the credit.”

It seemed like almost every time the Mavs got something going, the whistle blew and hindered their progress. The Suns led by as many as 13 points (48-35) midway through the second quarter, thanks to shots from Durant and some power play on the inside from Jusuf Nurkic, who finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds.

“He was aggressive,” Kidd said of Nurkic. “We talked about it. We had to box him out.

“He got some offensive rebounds, and then he made some layups in the post and gave them a spark. He was good for them tonight.”

Three-pointers from PJ Washington, Irving and Thompson cut the Mavs’ deficit to 58-52 with 2:12 left in the first half. But the Suns just didn’t want that denied on a night they played without guard Bradley Beal (right elbow soreness).

There was no way the Mavs could get their famous lob game going.

“Different teams are going to give us (the lob) and they’re going to try to take the lob away,” Doncic said. “Just like today, only 10 more layups for me.

“So it just depends on what the defense gives us, and it’s only been two games.”

Suns coach Mike Budenholzer noted that the addition of Thompson to the Mavs’ lineup — alongside Luka Doncic and Irving — makes Dallas a formidable opponent and puts extraordinary pressure on its defense.

“Obviously, I have a lot of respect for Klay and his ability to shoot and shoot quickly without dribbling,” Budenholzer said. “I think your awareness of where he is, while still knowing that Doncic and Irving are going to have the ball a lot, is definitely their formula.

“If you try to lose track and disconnect with Thompson, when they have two great players pulling defense, you kind of have to be able to do anything against them.”

Thompson was 7 of 16 from the field and had a pair of shots halfway to the basket and out. It was one of those nights for the Mavs, who shot 39.8 percent from the field and missed 28 of their 41 three-point attempts.

“It’s really good, with so much room for improvement,” said Thompson, referring to the chemistry between him and Dončić. “Game two of 82 and I’m very encouraged by our confidence in each other and what our potential can be.

“But tonight was a great learning experience for us, and we will get better.”

X: @DwainPrice