Observations after Sixers flip switch in 4th quarter to beat Mavs originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers’ backcourt played an outstanding back-to-back and helped the team polish off a 2-0 weekend Saturday night.
Advertisement
With a 121-114 win over the Mavericks at Xfinity Mobile Arena, the Sixers moved to 16-11. Dallas dipped to 11-18.
Tyrese Maxey scored 38 points and VJ Edgecombe added 26, posting his fourth straight 20-point outing.
Dominick Barlow tied his career high with 21 points.
No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg scored 24 points. Anthony Davis had 24 points and 14 rebounds. Naji Marshall put up 22 points and 10 boards.
The Sixers were without the following players on the second leg of their back-to-back:
-
Joel Embiid (right knee injury management, illness)
-
Paul George (left knee injury management)
-
Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain)
-
Trendon Watford (left adductor strain)
The team will host the Nets on Tuesday night. Here are observations on its win over Dallas:
Barlow, Edgecombe step up on offense
The Sixers started Maxey, Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, Barlow and Andre Drummond.
Advertisement
Barlow began the evening on Flagg and turned an early steal into a fast-break slam. Barlow had a big first half offensively, scoring 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting and missing just once inside the arc. He passed his previous season scoring high of 13 points against the Celtics on opening night.
The Sixers missed a string of layups in the first quarter and went down 13-8 on a Flagg bucket. However, they stormed back late in the first.
Edgecombe was tremendous when Maxey subbed out, hitting two mid-range shots in a row, including an and-one hoop. He then one-upped himself with a four-point play.
With an Adem Bona put-back slam and Edgecombe dunk, the Sixers suddenly had a 33-21 lead. The Edgecombe-Maxey backcourt scored 25 of the Sixers’ 38 points in the first quarter.
Advertisement
Sixers strong in the possession game
It took little time for the Sixers to gain a sizable advantage in the possession game.
They posted the night’s first 10 points off turnovers and also fared well on the glass. The Sixers pulled down eight offensive rebounds in the first quarter, including four from Bona.
Edgecombe picked up his third foul with six minutes to go in the second quarter. Soon after Edgecombe exited, Flagg converted a coast-to-coast layup to put Dallas up 54-53.
Maxey made sure to stop the Mavs’ momentum right away.
He drove hard, kept Dallas’ defense on its heels and posed a constant threat. The 25-year-old led a 10-0 Sixers run by scoring three driving baskets and a transition layup.
Advertisement
Sixers flip switch in the fourth
The Sixers’ third-quarter woes resurfaced.
The Mavs had greater energy coming out of the locker room and scored the first 10 points of the second half. They took a 70-68 lead when PJ Washington leaked out for a layup.
Entering Saturday night, the Sixers ranked last in the NBA with a minus-21.6 net rating in third quarters. That number worsened against the Mavs; they trailed by six points going into the fourth quarter.
The Sixers needed a good start to the fourth and they were excellent in the opening minutes.
Bona (10 points, eight rebounds) knocked down his second career three-pointer. Maxey scored his first points of the second half on a driving layup to pull the Sixers ahead.
Advertisement
The Sixers’ pace accelerated and they ran well off of their stops, pushing the ball down the heart of the court whenever possible. After Flagg missed a leaner, Edgecombe sliced through the defense for a layup that gave the Sixers a 112-104 edge. A Maxey triple extended the advantage to double digits.
The Mavs’ lack of three-point firepower meant their task was especially difficult from there. Dallas has been one of the league’s worst outside shooting teams so far this season and went 3 for 18 beyond the arc in Philadelphia.
