The Mavericks (34-26) fell to 1-3 at Eastern Road, losing 138-110 to the Boston Celtics on Friday before defeating the Philadelphia 76ers (34-25) on American Airlines on Sunday. ) as their home, and are trying to rebuild a bit. center.
Philadelphia comes into this game coming off a close 121-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. Guard Tyrese Maxey and forward Tobias Harris combined for 64 points in the win, but they have just five points in the last 16 games for the 76ers. Joel Embiid was playing MVP-caliber basketball and was the league's leading scorer before going down with a knee injury in a game against the Golden State Warriors.
Embiid told NBC Philadelphia on Thursday that he plans to return sometime this season, as the 76ers currently sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, but there are currently no questions regarding the possibility of a return. There is no schedule.
The matchup with Philadelphia is the first of a three-game homestand for Dallas, which includes a rematch with the Indiana Pacers and the first matchup with the Miami Heat. The Mavs are 12-8 against Eastern Conference opponents this year.
Here are three things to keep in mind when Philly's Phinest comes to town.
Maxie minimization
Slowing down the long, rambunctious trio of Maxey, Harris and Kelly Oubre Jr. will be key to stopping Philadelphia without Embiid. Maxey, in particular, has scored 30 points or more in four of the 76ers' last six games and has led the team in scoring in all six games. One of them. On February 1, he went 17-of-27 for 51 against the Utah Jazz in a 127-124 win, assuming the role of Philadelphia's No. 1 scoring option in Embiid's absence.
His selection to this year's All-Star Game was the first of Maxey's career. He's having a breakout season, which was further amplified by Embiid's extended injury absence. Maxey is setting career highs in points and assists this year with 25.9 points and 6.4 points per game, respectively.
It will be interesting to see who the Mavs' primary defender will be against Maxey, as he is only 6-foot-2. P.J. Washington has to think he would draw a matchup with the 6-foot-8 Harris.
get off the block
In the teams' first game of the season on February 5, the Mavs got off to a slow start before coming away with a big fourth quarter victory against the Embiid-less 76ers. Six Mavericks scored in double figures, with Kyrie Irving leading the way with 23 points and eight rebounds. They won 118-102 on an off night with an assist from Luka Doncic.
Mavericks fans will be hoping their team can get off to a better start than their first game against Philadelphia. Josh Green scored 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting and was the only Maverick ready to play in the game, as the Mavs turned an early 11-point deficit into a 16-point victory. Ta. They had to fight back to regain a three-point lead heading into the fourth quarter of a game they had a very good chance of winning.
The new version of the Mavericks post-trade deadline should aim to dominate this matchup from tip-off.
Bounce from 3 point land
The Mavs made just 9-of-34 3-pointers in Friday's 138-110 loss to Boston. This is the seventh time this season that the Mavs have made fewer than 10 3-pointers in a game, and Dallas is 1-6 on the year in those games.
That's what the Mavs will do when they make outside shot-making the centerpiece of their offense, but after going 1-3 in the team's last four games, it's hard to follow that up. It is even more urgent to get back on your feet. It was a season-best seven consecutive wins.
This is going to be the part of the schedule where the Mavericks have a slight advantage over the teams competing for a playoff spot (Sacramento, Phoenix).
How to watch
Tip of the Day is set for 12:00 PM CST and can be watched on ABC.
