Mavs Beat 76ers
PHILADELPHIA — It was not a great night, for Dirk Nowitzki or the rest of the Dallas Mavericks.
It was, however, just good enough to beat the winless Philadelphia 76ers.
Nowitzki, a veteran forward, scored seven of his 21 points in the final 3:23 as the Mavericks held off the Sixers 92-86 Monday night.
Forward Chandler Parsons added a season-high 20 (all in the first half) for Dallas, which used a game-ending 11-4 rush to win its fourth straight. Guard Deron Williams contributed 12 points and six assists.
The Mavericks (7-4) beat Philadelphia for the sixth consecutive time and the ninth time in the teams’ last 10 meetings.
It was far from easy, however. Dallas shot just 39.5 percent from the floor, compared to 44.7 percent for Philadelphia, and was outrebounded, 46-39. While the Mavs forced 27 turnovers, they committed 19 themselves.
“This is a hard team to get good shots against,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said of the Sixers. “They have young, motivated guys on small contracts. 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 kept staying in the game, clawing and scratching,” he said, “and they’re
obviously desperate to get their first win. We had to dig deep and grind it out.”
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.
Rookie guard T.J. McConnell had a season-high 13 points, as well as seven rebounds and six assists for Philadelphia. Forward Jerami Grant also scored a season-high 13 points, and forward Nerlens Noel chipped in 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The Sixers’ turnover total was, however, a season high, and it resulted in 28 Dallas points.
“You’re not going to win any basketball games with 27 turnovers,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said.
Philadelphia, which trailed by 19 in the first half, rallied to lead on three occasions in the fourth quarter, the last time at 82-81 on Noel’s free throw with 4:23 left.
Nowitzki, fouled by McConnell while attempting a jumper from the left baseline with 3:23 to play, sank two free throws to put Dallas ahead to stay.
Williams added a jumper with 2:41 left, and Nowitzki drilled two free throws 21 seconds later. After a dunk by Okafor, Nowitzki took a pass from center Zaza Pachulia and nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:47 remaining to give the Mavs a 90-84 cushion.
Neither Okafor nor McConnell thought Dallas’ experience was the difference in the final minutes.
“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. It’s just about us finishing.”
That, Brown said, “is part of growing up” as a team.
“We’re on the right path,” Okafor said. “We see the bigger picture, and I really believe that it’s all going to add up, and we’re definitely right there.”
The Mavericks scored 16 of the game’s first 20 points, 11 of those by Parsons, and extended their led to 38-19 early in the second quarter before the Sixers went on a 16-2 run that included four points by Grant.
Dallas led 49-44 at the half, having converted 17 Philadelphia turnovers into 19 points. Reserve guard Hollis Thompson topped the Sixers with nine first-half points.
Philadelphia crept within 57-55 on McConnell’s jumper with 4:59 left in the third quarter and was down just 68-65 at the end of the period, as forward Robert Covington hit a buzzer-beating baseline jumper.
