NBA: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Dallas Mavericks Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Philadelphia 76ers visit the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night in a game that draws too much attention. And to be honest, how wouldn’t it, when you have Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic on the court at the same time. Both crews are in the playoff hunt, and for the moment, we need to say that their prospects are solid. Also, Embiid is in the NBA MVP award chase, with the Process being among the top favorites for the prize. On the other hand, Luka is nowhere near, which is a surprise.

Preview

The Philadelphia 76ers (31-20, TBA) will have to move away from home for the upcoming two events, the first in Dallas and Chicago vs. Bulls. The Sixers had a five-game homestand at Wells Fargo Center, winning four of those meetings and losing the last one, against the Washington Wizards, 106-103.

Embiid was at his level, with 27 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists in 35 minutes. Though he couldn’t do everything by himself in the crucial moments, and Washington’s more diverse offense was the difference-maker on the court. Also, we need to say that the hosts had only 41 boards, unlike the Wizards, who had eleven more.

Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points, had eight boards and seven assists, while Tobias Harris added 18 with nine rebounds. Once again, Doc Rivers used only nine players in the rotation, and that might be something that will come back to him like a boomerang.

Dallas Mavericks (29-23, TBA) suffered two losses in a row, and may we add that both were pretty unexpected. The first one was in Orlando against the Magic, 110-108, and the second at home to the Oklahoma City Thunder after overtime, 120-114. Both were against sub-.500 teams, and very tight. We’ll see how that affects the Mavs’ morale.

Luka was fabulous for Dallas, scoring 40 points, dishing 10 assists with six boards and three steals. Jalen Brunson had 20 points and five boards, while Reggi Bullock scored 23 points with eight boards, making five three-pointers. Porzingis was out due to injury, which pretty much narrowed Dallas’ options on the offensive side of the court.

Controlling the glass was a massive problem for the Mavs, who allowed 50 boards to the rivals while posting 39 themselves. The defense didn’t have the solution to stop Lugentz Dort, who scored 30 points, 14 consecutive in overtime.

Head to Head Games

The Sixers and the Mavs didn’t meet this year. Last season, the franchise from Philly won in both events, the first at home 111-97, and the second on the road 113-95.

Prediction

As seen, the Mavs can’t cope with a good frontcourt, especially with Porinzgis out. But even with him 100% ready, Embiid would dominate the paint and all the positions near the rim. Meanwhile, Dallas’ only advantage over the 76ers is Luka, but his contribution will be somewhat neutralized with Maxey’s scoring. We predict Philly’s narrow win here, because of the two above-mentioned factors. Also, we believe that the 76ers are better as a team and have several favorable matchups on the court able to exploit.

Pick: Philly 76ers Wins