Green went against a member of his draft class — Maxey — and won

PHILADELPHIA – Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green and Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey were both selected in the 2020 NBA Draft. Green was the No. 18 overall pick, and Maxey was chosen three picks later at No. 21.

So, whenever Green is matched up against Maxey, it’s on and popping.

“I think it’s cool to be able to compete with him,” Green said. “I played him in high school.

“I do know who was in the draft with me. I remember most of the players, if not all of them.”

On Monday, Green left Maxey a little something to remember him by. Green scored 20 points, grabbed six rebounds and collected a pair of steals while going 6-of-9 from the floor.

On the flip side, Maxey scored 15 points, handed out seven assists and was just 6-of-16 from the from the field. Overall, Green had a plus/minus of plus 15, while Maxey’s plus/minus was a game low of minus 23.

Mavs guard Kyrie Irving was very impressed with the way Green handled his matchup against Maxey.

“Honestly, I think it was about his start,” Irving said. “He got us going on the defensive end.

“He got two steals – one steal to start off the game — and he got to the free throw line. That pretty much set us up for the rest of the night.”

And set Green up for him to win his matchup against a draft class adversary that he knows very well.

“I go into every single game like, whoever my matchup is I’m going to scout them and play as hard as I can,” Green said. “I think that’s for any matchup.

“But obviously I do realize (Maxey) was in my draft class.”

Here are the three takeaways from the Mavs’ 16-point win over the Sixers.

IRVING RIGHT ON TIME: Irving was back on the court for the first time after missing six games with a sprained right thumb. And against the Sixers, Irving didn’t disappoint as he finished with a game-high 23 points, five rebounds, a game-high eight assists and a pair of steals. Irving scored 10 of his points in the third quarter when the Mavs started putting the game away.

HARDY PARTY: Jaden Hardy was absolutely dialed in during Monday’s game. The second-year guard came off the bench and was only in the game for 15 minutes. Yet he showed what he was known for last year – a certified bucket getter. While maneuvering his way through the Sixers’ porous defense, Hardy tallied 17 points and was 6-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-6 from downtown.

MAVS PUT UP DEFENSIVE FRONT: While the Mavs’ defense may not be as stout as it was when they advanced to the Western Conference Finals two years ago, they rolled up their sleeves and showed the Sixers that they can play defense. In the second half of Monday’s game, the Mavs were at their defensive best as they held the Sixers to just 45 points on 17-of-46 shots.

X: @DwainPrice