Five months ago, the NBA season was about to begin and the two teams that will have a high-noon shootout Sunday at American Airlines Center were brimming with confidence.
The Philadelphia 76ers had just made a splashy offseason move to get Paul George and were ever-hopeful that the superstar grouping of George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey could propel them into the category of the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
The Mavericks? Well, they were coming off an appearance in the 2024 NBA Finals and they had every reason to believe they were capable of winning it in 2025.
High hopes for both teams were abounding.
Now?
The Sixers are headed to a losing record and the Mavericks are going to have to hustle to avoid a sub-.500 season and give themselves a shot at the playoffs via the play-in tournament.
These are Exhibits A and B that best-laid plans are just that – plans that are vulnerable to any and all curveballs that reality can throw.
While the Mavericks are still trying to finish this season with some sort of momentum to build toward next year, the Sixers have been in a nosedive since before the All-Star break. Embiid has been out with a knee injury and the Sixers simply are not the same team without the 7-0 center.
They have lost 15 of their last 17 games. They have no chance of playing in the postseason.
As for the Mavericks, they remain in a precarious position, also known as 10th in the Western Conference. They have a 1 ½ game lead on Phoenix for the last play-in spot.
They also are hot on the heels of Sacramento, which occupies the ninth seed in the West.
Here’s what else to watch for heading into the early game against the Sixers:
- The Mavericks traded Quentin Grimes to the Sixers just before the February deadline in exchange for a second-round pick and Caleb Martin. So far, Grimes has been a bright spot in an otherwise dreary stretch for the Sixers. He’s averaged 19.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 15 games (12 starts).
- The Sixers have about as many injuries as the Mavericks: Embiid (knee), George (groin) and Eric Gordon (wrist) all are out, as are Maxey (back), Kyle Lowry (hip) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (knee).
- The Sixers are starting a six-game trip that is very geographic-friendly. They hit four of the five Southwest Division members (Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and New Orleans) as well as Oklahoma City and Atlanta.
- They are coming off a 112-100 home loss to Indiana in which George and Maxey both joined Embiid on the sideline.
- The best news the Mavericks have gotten in some time is that P.J. Washington is not listed on their latest injury report. The 6-8 forward/center has been out for the last seven games with a right ankle injury. He’s been missed, clearly. He was averaging 14 points and 8.1 rebounds before he went out. The rebounding might be the most important contribution as the Mavericks have been getting routinely beaten on the glass in the last two weeks.
- However, the Mavericks will still be without Anthony Davis (left adductor), Kyrie Irving (left knee), Dereck Lively II (right ankle), Daniel Gafford (right knee), Dante Exum (left hand) and O-Max Prosper (right wrist). Kai Jones (quad) and Caleb Martin (hip) are questionable. Jaden Hardy (ankle) is doubtful.
- This is the first of nine consecutive games against Eastern Conference opponents. This will leave only a home game against Toronto on April 11 to complete the Mavericks’ schedule against East competition, against whom they have amassed 10-10 record so far.
- The Mavericks lost the first meeting this season, 118-116, in Philadelphia. It was the first game in which Max Christie played after the trade that brought him and Davis to Dallas for Luka Doncic.
PHILADELPHIA 76ers (22-44) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (33-35)
WHEN: Noon, Sunday.
WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas.
TV: KFAA 29, MAVSTV STREAM.
RADIO: KEGL 97.1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @ESefko
Share and comment