Third Quarter
Getting the high to low post pass from Embiid to Guerschon Yabusele was something the Sixers tried a bit in the first half, and were successful going to it to start the second. Of course there was a scare as Embiid looked to take an elbow to the face from Daniel Gafford. He did remain in the game after a timeout was called.
The offense continued to produce, but an inability to get stops prevented them from making much progress. They were just getting beat off the dribble too easily which made life pretty easy for the Mavericks.
Finally stringing some solid possessions together, the Sixers held the Mavericks scoreless for over three minutes and without a field goal for over four. They capitalized with a 16-2 run as Maxey was able to get going with pull-up jumpers. Ricky Council IV also had a solid offensive stretch as he hit a three and threw a nice bounce pass to Adem Bona. They took a seven-point lead into the fourth after Maxey split a pair of free throws.
Fourth Quarter
The quarter opened with the Sixers trying to steal a couple minutes with both Embiid and Maxey on the bench. That didn’t last long as Embiid checked in after Bona picked up a foul. Even still it took them three minutes to score in the quarter as they struggled to control the ball.
Much like the second quarter, things opened up when Maxey returned to the game. He went right to the hoop to get them back on the board, then hit a deep three off a drop pass from Embiid. They surrendered a 9-0 run on the other end though, and Dallas retook the lead off a Klay Thompson three.
After going back and forth on the seesaw for a few possessions, the Mavericks held a one-point lead with just over 30 seconds remaining, but lost Gafford to injury. Justin Edwards had a phenomenal block in transition to keep it there. The Sixers were able to get a post-up for Embiid who converted the layup. Dallas went to Marshall who was unable to get his runner to go over Yabusele.
Embiid proceeded to split a pair of free throws, giving the Mavs a chance to tie or go for the win. With 3.8 seconds remaining, Irving slipped trying to catch the inbound. He was able to get it to Dante Exum, but he fumbled the ball as well, letting the Sixers sneak out with this one.
Oh right, the actual basketball games this team has to play.
The Sixers, for once the healthier team, narrowly defeated the Dallas Mavericks 119-117 Tuesday night.
Playing in his first game in exactly a month, Joel Embiid recorded a triple-double, going for 29 points including the game-winner, along with 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Tyrese Maxey scored at least 30 for the sixth straight game, leading the Sixers with 33 points and 13 assists. Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 34 points.
Paul George remained sidelined, while new Maverick Anthony Davis was out with an abdominal strain. Quentin Grimes and Caleb Martin were out since their trade was just finalized this afternoon.
Here are some thoughts from the Center.
First Quarter
For as much as he missed, Embiid was able to settle in fairly quickly, at least offensively. He made the Sixers’ first two baskets of the game: a turnaround midrange over a double team and a driving layup. Unsurprisingly, they used the two-man game to ease him in. Maxey’s first three assists were all to Embiid.
There was a bit of rust to shake off as he had their first two turnovers of the game as well. They had plenty of runway to sort out the issues as Dallas was off to a fairly slow start. It took them over six minutes to make a shot outside of the paint.
Maxey got into a groove as it became time to lead the second unit. He got himself a floater and a three, as well as a blindingly fast up-and-under layup, finishing with 11 points in the quarter as the Sixers led by five.
Second Quarter
It then became Embiid’s turn to lead the second unit, and it didn’t go nearly as smoothly as the Mavs opened the quarter on a 12-2 run. The Sixers’ jumpers weren’t falling during this stretch, but they couldn’t stop a possession on defense. They nullified a steal by throwing it right back to Dallas trying to throw it up the court, then they surrendered three offensive rebounds on the following possession.
The Sixers needed to spam the two-man game to get the offense out of a rut after going over three minutes without a field goal. A couple shots falling for Embiid really opened up driving lanes for Maxey. They weren’t offering much resistance on the other end as Dallas shot 62% from the field in the second.
After being stymied for a couple minutes, Max Christie slipped past the Sixers off a made free throw to knock down a three. Naji Marshall got to the line on the next possesion, then stripped Maxey to beat the buzzer with a layup. Embiid had begun to impose his will in the post, but the Sixers went into the break trailing by seven.
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey put up 33 points to extend his streak of games with 30+ points to 6.
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