The Philadelphia 76ers (15-11), fresh off a massive win over the New York Knicks on Friday night, will host the Dallas Mavericks (11-17) as they look to string together some victories. The Mavericks took down the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, 116-114, so both teams are riding high off quality wins against top opponents.
Who: Dallas Mavericks (11-17) at Philadelphia 76ers (15-11)
When: 7:00 pm EST
Where: XFinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch: ABC, NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass
The Sixers are home for the second game of their back-to-back, their sixth of the season so far, and are hoping to start a winning streak before games against the Nets and Bulls this week. The victory over the Knicks is enormous for the team, as they shut down one of the top offenses in the league while still missing some key components.
Tyrese Maxey returned after a two-game absence, and VJ Edgecombe has continued to show his growth on both sides of the ball, providing the Sixers with one of the most formidable guard duos in the league. Edgecombe was tasked with handling Knicks star Jalen Brunson, and he was terrific all night.
What the Sixers need to work on is incorporating Joel Embiid into their new style of play when he's on the court, rather than allowing him to dictate a slower pace. Having Maxey control the ball has been successful, and the team should be focused on using Embiid as a complementary piece, not the centerpiece. While it remains to be seen if Embiid will play tonight, the Sixers have time to figure that out through the season.
With a team that features Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson, the only person you really hear about is the first overall pick from this past NBA draft, Cooper Flagg. Rightly so, as Flagg is currently the second leading rookie scorer at 18.6 points per game. For Flagg, he's not had Irving on the court all season, while Davis has battled injuries, and Thompson is genuinely just a shell of his former self.
With Davis expected to play against the Sixers, the teams' defense should be significantly improved against a smaller Sixers squad. If they're to continue to slow down quality opponents, they'll have to be at the top of their game on that side of the ball.
Despite the big-name veterans on both rosters, the game will be about the two rookies on the floor, VJ Edgecombe and Cooper Flagg. The first and third picks in the past draft have not disappointed in their rookie seasons, as they're second and third in rookie scoring, while both are close to the top of almost all the statistical categories. While not matching up against each other on the floor, all eyes will be on the two, and with the way Edgecombe plays, they'll be sure to see him flying over Flagg at some point in the game.
If the Sixers have Embiid back tonight, it will help with Anthony Davis, who is expected to be in the Mavericks' lineup. If not, they'll be relying on Andre Drummond and Adem Bona to handle a lot of the interior against the height and mobility that the Mavs possess.
Despite all of the excitement over the two rookies, the game will come down to shooting, and the Sixers do that much better than the Mavericks, while employing four quality guards to throw at the defense throughout the game. As good as the Mavs seem to be defensively, the idea of having Maxey, Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and Jared McCain to fire away throughout the game could be more than they could handle.
Sixers 119 - Mavericks 111
