With a final score of 118-102, the Dallas Mavericks trounced the Philadelphia 76ers, who were severely outmatched, to start a three-game East Coast road trip. The Mavs have added Kyrie Irving back into the lineup following a six-game layoff due to a right thumb sprain, while reigning MVP Joel Embiid is starting a lengthy injury leave as he approaches knee surgery.  

Midway through the quarter, the Mavs led the Sixers 16–13 thanks to a well-rounded effort, even though they had fallen down 6-0 at the start. Josh Green (4 points), Derrick Jones Jr. (4 points), Luka Doncic (3 points), Maxi Kleber (3 points), and Irving (2 points) are the five starting for Dallas who have already scored.

The Sixers’ initial strategy was to force Jones to shoot by rotating the low man early in order to reduce the size of the floor. Initially, he missed easy deep shots, but Dallas made adjustments by using him as a big man for dribble handoffs and moving Doncic off the ball. Later, when Irving commanded the bench group, they used lineups with all of their shooting threats. 

Maxey’s quickness on the wide floor proved difficult for the Mavs to contain from a defensive standpoint. But at 5:33 in the first quarter, the first-time All-Star was called for a charge, which resulted in the recording of his third personal foul. Philadelphia attempted to challenge the play, but in vain. 

Philadelphia heated up from the outside to complete the first quarter, building a 33-26 advantage at the break because to Kelly Oubre Jr.’s nine points during this time. Philadelphia scored nine fastbreak points and fourteen points in the paint. 

The Mavs’ smaller perimeter players allowed Tobias Harris to post up for turnaround jumpers and get to areas for pull-ups when he wanted to, and this was a recurring theme early in the second quarter. With 9:11 left before halftime, he had scored six of Philadelphia’s first eight points of the game, putting the team ahead 43-34. 

It was evident that the Sixers wanted to consistently double Doncic in order to take the ball out of his hands as much as possible. Dallas attempted to move him around by making the offence get the ball out of Zoom actions and occasionally even having him function as a screener himself when the offence wasn’t just accepting the coverage to play out of the double. Dallas struggled to generate momentum and establish an offensive edge due to the Sixers’ formidable on-ball defence and all-around physical style. 

The only other Mavs player to score in double figures in the first half was Green, who finished with 15 points. Doncic and Irving, on the other hand, did not play up to par. After the break, the stars of Dallas stepped up their game, with Irving making clutch jump shots and Doncic continuing to be double-teamed frequently.

With a seven-point scoring advantage, the Mavs held the Sixers to just 17 points in the third quarter, leading them to a 79-74 lead at the half. With many momentum-shifting shot-creation sequences that reminded Philadelphia of the superstar hole the team holds with Joel Embiid out for a lengthy amount of time due to injury, Irving scored 11 of Dallas’ 24 points in the frame. 

The Mavs took a timeout with 9:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, leading 86-77 after Irving had set the tone while Doncic was on the sidelines. Irving took the lead in points scored for Dallas after he scored his twenty-first. After Grant Williams made a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer with a long hold on the follow-through and Jaden Hardy added another, the margin increased to 15 points. 

As the game progressed, the Sixers found it difficult to score many points, feeling the loss of Embiid as their major focal point. The Mavs took the doubles that Doncic continued to dish out and believed that if they kept drawing two and moving the ball, shots would come from outside the area. 

Following Williams’ seven straight points for the Mavericks while playing off the catch, Dallas was able to effectively breach the defensive coverages that the Sixers had previously been using. Doncic added up the team’s lead with a 3-pointer, making it 105-85, the biggest margin of victory of the contest. Philadelphia was unable to mount a comeback, thus they had to use reserves to win it.  

On Tuesday, the Mavs and Brooklyn Nets will play the second game in a back-to-back.