Post Game Grades: 129-103 Loss to Dallas Mavericks
By Josh Wilson
The Philadelphia 76ers had a terrible showing against the Dallas Mavericks down the stretch on Sunday night, but some players did enough to earn a decent grade.
The Philadelphia 76ers lost their 47th game of the season Sunday night in Texas against the Dallas Mavericks, 129-103. This wasn’t a game that was expected to be within the grasp of the Sixers’ roster, but they did have a decent showing in the first quarter and a half or so. Going into halftime, though, it was clear that the Sixers were falling behind, and fast.
Dirk Nowitzki broke the 29,000 points milestone during this game, finishing with 18 points and 7 rebounds. The Mavericks ended the game with 6 players in double digit scoring, and nearly 50 rebounds. The teams were neck and neck with shooting percentage at right around 50 percent, but the Mavericks ultimately got more shots off partially due to the fact that they turned the ball over five times less than the Sixers.
Mark Cuban was, of course, very active in his court-side seats, yelling about fouls called on the Mavericks even when they were up by about 20 late in the fourth quarter. Although some hate Cuban for how vocal and present he is, I think it’s refreshing for a league owner to be so invested into his team. I kind of wish we got the same laid back vibe from Josh Harris. Just imagine seeing him show up to a game in a t-shirt while he yelled at referees. That wouldn’t be taken very well by most fans right now, given the current state of the Sixers. Showing that the front office is “all play, not business” like Cuban comes off would be bad.
I’m not sure why, in this game, Brett Brown didn’t put Kendall Marshall in at the point guard spot. Marshall, who had a good game against the New Orleans Pelicans, played just 3 minutes on Sunday despite T.J. McConnell and Ish Smith both not playing very well.
It wasn’t the best showing for the Sixers, but the were some players who deserved a good game grade.
A. <strong><a href=. C. Philadelphia 76ers. JAHLIL OKAFOR
Okafor wasn’t the only big man to step up.
B. <strong><a href=. C. Philadelphia 76ers. RICHAUN HOLMES
Nik Stauskas has been heating up since Ish Smith arrived, but still doesn’t do quite enough.
C. Ugh, where do we start with Sauce Castillo? It really feels like Nik’s career has been everything that it shouldn’t have been so far. He started this season horrendously, but has quietley been improving every aspect of his game — especially his bread and butter, his 3-point shot — since Ish Smith arrived. Nik showed his improved shot again tonight shooting 50 percent from the field and above 60 percent from beyond the arc, but he’s not doing enough per game to be seen as much of an asset. He played 20 minutes — given, he was on a 24 minute restriction due to a shin injury — and scored just 8 points. You can do more, Sauce. I know you can.. SG. Philadelphia 76ers. NIK STAUSKAS
F. Yes, this man, who I have called the savior of the Philadelphia 76ers at one point, is getting an F grade for Sunday’s showing against Dallas. Smith has been an incredible addition to the Sixers team this season, but he showed nothing of importance on Sunday. Ish was playing like some of the options the Sixers had at point guard before Ish came around, and really showed that he wasn’t worth much. I’m probably being much to harsh on Ish, given that this is probably the first “worthless” game we’ve seen from Ish, but it’s tough not to think that the Sixers could have maintained their lead even late in the game had he played well. To be fair, though, his usual partner in crime, Nerlens Noel, played awfully, nearly fouling out of the game and only scoring 4 points total. But that doesn’t dismiss the lowly 3 points, and 3 assists that Ish put up for Philly.. PG. Philadelphia 76ers. ISH SMITH
Next: Okafor is a Bad Defender: Fact or Fiction?
Overall, it was a pretty bad game for most of Philly, but Okafor getting 30 points finally was good to see.
The Sixers’ next game is on Tuesday against the Orlando Magic, when they return home from a short road trip.