Game Recap: Mavericks 92, 76ers 86

We need to be able to walk down a game, and we didn’t do it. Our defense was good enough.

Veteran forward Dirk Nowitzki scored seven of his 21 points in the final 3:23 as the Dallas Mavericks held off the winless Philadelphia 76ers.

San Antonio stretched its winning sequence to five games by beating Portland 93-80. Covington had seven points and five rebounds.

Sure, it’s very early still and there’s plenty of time for things to go in all kinds of directions for this Mavericks team still loaded with new personnel, but things could be a whole lot worse.

It was far from easy, however. What hindered them most this time were the appaling 27 turnovers they committed.

The Dallas Mavericks and coach Rick Carlisle are reportedly come to terms on a new contract extension, reports ESPN.

While many of those guys don’t resemble the players they were in their prime at all, Dirk has shown that he still is capable of turning back the clock on occasion. “They’re playing their (butts) off. It’s good to see from a competitive standpoint but it makes it hard to get shots”.

That includes Nowitzki, a perennial All-Star. He missed 10 of his 16 attempts from the floor.

“They said I didn’t let him land”, McConnell said. “We had to dig in deep, and then we got the win”.

Rookie center Jahlil Okafor had 19 points and 11 rebounds to top the Sixers (0-11). Philadelphia has dropped 21 straight dating back to March 25, when it beat the Denver Nuggets.

Nerlens Noel also had a double-double, going for 12 points with 12 boards.

Prior to taking the court on Monday night to face the Dallas Mavericks, the Sixers played the French National Anthem to honor victims of the recent attacks in Paris, France.

The Sixers failed to execute in the halfcourt, and they finished the game with an incredible 27 turnovers.

Nowitzki’s ensuing free throws helped the Mavericks reclaim the lead, 83-82, with 3:23 to go.

Despite a bumpy start that saw the Mavs storm out to a 38-19 advantage in the second period, the Sixers fought on, relying on a balanced scoring attack, and a renewed defensive focus. The teams traded scoreboard barbs until the final two minutes, when Dallas (7-4) put its foot down.

“Yeah, the experience obviously helps, but I think there were a couple of bonehead plays down the stretch”, said McConnell, noting in particular an errant pass on his part. “But we’re right there, knocking on the door”.

“We’ve already done this once”, Deron Williams said.

For the Mavericks, Chandler Parsons scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half. The 76ers ended the quarter with eight turnovers, which led to 11 Dallas points.

A span of five seconds perfectly epitomized the Sixers’ first half.

The Suns guard Brandon Knight recorded the first triple-double of his career with 30 points as the Lakers faded in the fourth quarter. Luckily, he returned to the game unscathed and as handsome as ever to sink one of the Mavs’ few three-pointers to stop a short Sixers run.