PHILADELPHIA – The NBA scoring title won’t exactly be on the line Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. when the Dallas Mavericks
face the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.
However, the league’s top two scorers will be on the court, thus intriguing fans as they try to one-up each other in the race to capture the league’s scoring title.
Sixers center Joel Embiid leads the NBA in scoring at 33.3 points per game. Not far behind and in second place is Mavs point guard Luka Doncic, who averages at 32.9 points per game.
While Doncic obviously wouldn’t mind winning the scoring title, he’s more focused on guiding the Mavs into the playoffs – or, as a last resort, into the play-in tournament. And that starts with dethroning the Sixers, who the Mavs defeated in Dallas, 133-126, on March 2.
In that game, Doncic scored 42 points in 40 minutes, and also distributed 12 assists. Doncic was 13-of-22 from the field, including 7-of-13 from beyond the three-point arc.
Embiid, meanwhile, tallied 35 points in 36 minutes, grabbed eight rebounds and was 13-of-21 from the floor.
That game also was a coming out party of sorts for Mavs guard Kyrie Irving in his union with Doncic. Piggy-backing off the dominance of Doncic, Irving poured in 40 points in 42 minutes and was 15-of-22 from the field in that game against the Sixers, including a red-hot 6-of-8 from downtown.
It was the first time in Mavs’ history that they had two of their players score at least 40 points in the same game. It also was just the fifth time in 30 years in NBA history that a pair of teammates poured in at least 40 points in the same game.
Doncic wouldn’t mind a repeat performance of March 2 on Wednesday. Especially if the Mavs are able to emerge with a victory.
*This is the third of a five-game road trip for the Mavs, who won in Indiana on Monday, 127-104. The trip continues with a game Saturday in Miami and Sunday in Atlanta before the Mavs return home to host the Sacramento Kings on April 5.
*Philadelphia has lost four of its last five games, including the last three while on a West coast journey. On the road trip, the Sixers lost at Golden State last Friday (120-112), lost at Phoenix this past Saturday (125-105), and lost at Denver on Monday (116-111). All of this occurred right after the Sixers won eight games in a row from March 4-18.
*The Sixers are third in the NBA in scoring differential. The Boston Celtics are first with a point differential of plus 6.9, followed by the Cleveland Cavaliers (plus 5.6) and the Sixers (plus 4.6).
*The Mavs are 10-16 against Eastern Conference team, while the Sixers are 19-10 against Western Conference teams.
*The Sixers are 26-11 at home, while the Mavs are 15-23 on the road.
DALLAS MAVERICKS (37-39) at PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (49-26)
When: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
TV: BSSW, ESPN
Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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