PLAYER GRADES: Dallas Mavericks 122, Philadelphia 76ers 102
Missing arguably their two best players, the Philadelphia 76ers struggled to keep pace with the tanking Dallas Mavericks.
We can file this one in the “Forget It Ever Happened” folder and, well, forget it ever happened. The Philadelphia 76ers were stomped on the road, losing to the Dallas Mavericks — who were without Luka Doncic — in embarrassing fashion.
Despite the bad optics, it’s not something worth panicking about. The Sixers are in Game 77, have the third seed on virtual lockdown, and were missing arguably their two best players. Joel Embiid‘s absence is hard enough to deal with, but missing Jimmy Butler adds another layer of difficulty.
The Sixers still got strong performances from their healthy starters, as Tobias Harris, J.J. Redick and Ben Simmons all played well. It was the other starters, combined with a thinner-than-normal bench, that screwed Brett Brown’s squad.
It wasn’t a blowout all night, of course. The Sixers actually led 32-27 after one quarter, but a concerning trend was already developing. Simmons, Harris and Redick combined for 27 of those 32 points. The lack of help didn’t get much better as the game progressed.
Toward the end of the second frame, things went cold for Philadelphia. The Sixers ended the first half on an eight-minute scoring drought, allowing the Mavs to amass an 18-point halftime lead. That just about finished it.
While Harris made a valiant effort to keep the Sixers competitive in the third, it never quite clicked for the non-stars. The Sixers wasted strong games from three important pieces, but it was almost expected given the circumstances.
Philadelphia 76ers. J.J. REDICK. A-. <strong>28 mins | 26 pts | 5 reb | 1 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 4 TO | 8-17 FG | 4-11 3PT| 6-6 FT | 3 PF | -20 |</strong><p>Redick drilled his first three shots from beyond the arc, lifting the Sixers to a first-quarter advantage. His percentages dovetailed afterward, but that was largely due to his need to shoot the Sixers out of an offensive funk — or try to, at least. He was one of the few players who showed up and produced.</p>. SG
A-. <strong>33 mins | 25 pts | 6 reb | 3 ast | 0 stl | 1 blk | 2 TO | 10-19 FG | 1-6 3PT| 4-5 FT | 1 PF | -8 |</strong><p>Harris was the Sixers’ brightest spot for much of the second half, getting into the lane and scoring on a variety of floaters and mid-range jump shots. It wasn’t enough, but he led a surge that briefly trimmed the Mavs’ lead under 13 points. His three-point shooting was off, but the rest was strong.</p>. PF. Philadelphia 76ers. TOBIAS HARRIS
B-. <strong>31 mins | 17 pts | 7 reb | 5 ast | 0 stl | 3 blk | 3 TO | 5-15 FG | 0-1 3PT| 7-11 FT | 3 PF | -21 |</strong><p>Simmons struggled to score efficiently, but his defense and general presence still benefited the team. He was one of the few defenders with any moderate success on the Sixers’ end, tallying three blocks and using his size to bottle up guards in transition. It was the depth, not the star power, that killed the Sixers in Dallas.</p>. PG. Philadelphia 76ers. BEN SIMMONS
Philadelphia 76ers. ZHAIRE SMITH. B. <strong>9 mins | 0 pts | 0 reb | 1 ast | 0 stl | 1 blk | 0 TO | 0-1 FG | 0-0 3PT| 0-0 FT | 1 PF | -1 |</strong><p>The Sixers, outside Simmons, Redick and Harris, were mostly dreadful. Therefore it feels justifiable to offer props to <a rel=. SG
T.J. MCCONNELL. A-. <strong>16 mins | 15 pts | 3 reb | 1 ast | 1 stl | 2 blk | 0 TO | 7-10 FG | 1-1 3PT| 0-0 FT | 1 PF | -1 |</strong><p>His numbers were inflated in garbage time, but McConnell still notched an impressive 15 points on efficient shooting, including a three-point make. He also added some pesky defense against the Mavs’ smaller point guards and, somehow, blocked two shots. It was as good an outing as one could expect in lieu of T.J.’s recent struggles. He registered only a -1 in 16 minutes — a good mark considering the scoreboard.</p>. PG. Philadelphia 76ers
Some will point to the Mavs’ injury situation, which wasn’t any better, and argue the Sixers should have won. In a long season, however, duds are inevitable. The Sixers didn’t need to win and were missing two All-Star talents. It happens.
The Mavs, who were down one Luka Doncic, played with more energy and fervor, sparked by strong performances from Jalen Brunson, Justin Jackson and a young rotation. Salah Mejri probably doesn’t get 16 points and 14 boards against a healthy Embiid.
One positive was Zhaire Smith and Shake Milton both seeing the floor. Neither was spectacular, but Smith showed real flashes on defense. That’s about all one could hope for at this stage.
dark. Next. 3 draft picks we wish were April Fools jokes
Next on the schedule is Atlanta on Wednesday before Milwaukee on Thursday. Embiid should return Thursday, while Butler could be back as soon as Wednesday.