The Dallas Mavericks (33-36) fell to the Philadelphia 76ers (23-44) 130-125 in a Sunday afternoon matchup between two teams who have had disastrous seasons, given their expectations. Dallas fought to the end but ultimately lost to an equally ravaged 76ers.
PJ Washington returned to action for the Mavericks after missing the last seven games due to an ankle sprain. The Mavericks were without Caleb Martin (hip strain), Dante Exum (hand fracture), Anthony Davis (adductor strain), Daniel Gafford (MCL sprain), Kyrie Irving (ACL tear), Jaden Hardy (ankle sprain), Kai Jones (quad strain), Dereck Lively (ankle stress fracture), and Olivier-Maxence Prosper (wrist sprain). The 76ers were also missing most of their team (10 guys out!), but we saw our old friend Quentin Grimes, who has averaged 19 points per game on 50% shooting in his 15 games since being traded to Philadelphia.
The Mavericks were led by Washington with 27 and 12 rebounds. Naji Marshall and Klay Thompson added 21 each. Grimes was the leading scorer for the 76ers with 28. Dallas had five players score 15+ points this afternoon.
It was clear the Mavericks wanted Washington to get involved early in his limited minutes after he had missed significant time. Washington scored 12 of Dallas’ first 16 points on made free throws, a long midrange jumper, and a couple of emphatic dunks. The teams traded blows, but Dallas ultimately finished the first quarter down 36-32 after a buzzer-beating three from Marshall.
Dallas came into the second quarter fighting back, resulting in a six-point lead, assisted by efforts from Marshall, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Max Christie. Philadelphia struggled to score early in this period, allowing the momentum to swing in the Mavericks’ favor. Grimes and a few NBA 2K auto-generated players were able to see the ball go through the hoop, giving the Sixers one last run to go into the half. Washington led the way in this quarter with eight points, and the Mavericks walked into the intermission with a 68-64 lead.
The two teams took turns trading blows in the opening half of the third period, but Dallas could not stop Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele as the Sixers ran away with the momentum heading into the fourth as Dallas found themselves with a 98-86 deficit to crawl themselves out of to win this game. The Mavericks scored an abysmal 18 points to the Sixers’ 34 in this period.
Dallas had no answer to stop the bleeding in the first half of the fourth quarter, unable to cut the lead below single digits. Klay Thompson came to life in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to ten off of seven straight points. Grimes unsuccessfully tried to play hero ball this quarter, allowing Dallas to cut the lead to three off of a couple of three-pointers by Thompson and Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie missed an awful three-point shot to tie the game, and the Mavericks ultimately fell, 130-125.
Here are some takeaways from today’s loss:
The Mavericks have sorely missed PJ Washington
Washington finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds in 32 minutes. It was nice to see him return to action today after he had missed significant time from an ankle injury. Dallas needed him today with Martin added back to the injury list and with Kessler Edwards’s two-way eligibility coming to an end soon.
Washington has had a great season for Dallas despite a few injuries he has dealt with. The offensive leap he has taken this year has made him a bright spot in a rather gloomy season. He plays with an energy that makes it hard not to love him as a basketball fan. His 12 rebounds in his limited minutes were huge for this team that has had a massive hole in that department with their center trio out. Welcome back, PJ.
Brandon Williams now has five eligible games left
Brandon Williams finished today’s bout with 11 points. He has risen to the occasion, given the Mavericks’ current circumstances with injuries, and has likely secured himself a future in the NBA, averaging 18.8 points over the last six games. His scoring abilities, given his size, make him a fun player to have at the end of your bench, but the Mavericks will run into an issue very soon with his contract. Williams is on a two-way contract, meaning he is only eligible to play in five more games. Losing Dante Exum Saturday night to a broken hand leaves Williams and Dinwiddie as the Mavericks' last two point guards standing. Williams will soon no longer be able to play, leaving Dinwiddie the lone ball-handler on this team, a sight I am not enthused to see. Just an unfortunate turnout for the Mavericks with what he has done on the floor lately.
Max Christie bounces back
Max Christie had a great bounce-back game today, finishing with 18 points and 8 rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. Christie hit a wall recently, struggling to find his shot in any capacity. It felt like his confidence was affected by his slump, which affected his play even further. He had no problem finding that shot back today, a trend I hope to see continue as this season closes.
Most importantly, he played with confidence. There was a moment earlier in the game where he was at the free-throw line and missed his first attempt, and you could see his visible frustration. He ended up missing both attempts at the line, but on the next possession, he hit a jumper from behind the arc, and you could feel his confidence go back up at that very moment, leading him to his strong finish today. It has not been easy for him to get quickly acclimated to his new circumstances: a new city, a new role, and most importantly, playing more minutes than he has in his professional career. I hope to see more performances from him like today’s as he grows as a player.
The Mavericks are back in action Wednesday night as they take on the Indiana Pacers at 6 p.m. CT.