Mavericks Give Sixers a Taste of Their Own Medicine

By Sean Kennedy

Often this season, the Sixers have been the team charging back from a deficit in the second half. But Monday night in Dallas, it was the Mavericks’ turn to turn the tide of a game, as they took their first lead late in the third quarter, and held off the Sixers in a 97-94 final. The man behind the Dallas run was Monta Ellis, who finished with 24 points and 10 assists, with 19 of those points coming the second half. In particular, Ellis did a great job working to get to the free throw line for easy points, and his 11 third quarter points were the impetus for the Mavericks comeback.

The game got off to an ugly start, remaining scoreless for nearly three minutes to start the game. The Sixers then went on an 8-0 run before Dallas finally scored after missing their first 8 shot attempts. Tony Wroten and Evan Turner each had 12 points in the first half, with Turner really going well until having to sit a large part of the second quarter with three fouls. Dirk Nowitzki kept the Mavericks hanging around, hitting one silk smooth jumper after another as the Sixers kept rotating off him for some reason; Dirk finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Box Score

Notable Observations:

• It was a huge mixed bag of a performance again for Tony Wroten. On the one hand, he the man continues to prove he can split defenders and attack the rim, and Wroten also did a great job jumping passing lanes (5 steals) to get easy breakaway finishes on the other end. He also finished a drive with his right hand on one occasion, just as I noticed the silhouette of a flying pig in front of the blue moon outside. However, he also committed a few costly unforced turnovers in the half court and his shot is still very much a work in progress (0-4 3PT, 3-9 FT). I didn’t think coming into the year that I’d be seriously evaluating Tony Wroten’s abilities to contribute to a winning club, but that’s the kind of crazy year it’s been.
• Speaking of mixed bags, both the talented potential and the immature nature of Evan Turner was on full display last night. Turner recorded 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists, finding the range again on his baseline three-pointer, and continuing to be the Sixers most reliable option in the half court. But as he’s wont to do, the former Buckeye let his emotions get the better of him when things didn’t go his way. Turner was blocked 4 times on the night; after one such block, instead of getting back on defense, he took to time to slam his hand against the support under the basket. A few possessions later, Turner was blocked (and also admittedly fouled), and didn’t shut up about the lack of a whistle through the Sixers’ next possession before the official finally tagged him with a technical. The Sixers were only down 6 in the fourth quarter, not exactly the best time to give the opponent a free point (unless it’s a hidden tanking strategy, in which case, very clever).
• I miss last year’s Thaddeus Young. As always, Young hustled every second he was on the floor, grabbing 3 steals and 11 rebounds, including 5 offensive boards. However, his shot selection has hampered what was once the best part of Young’s game, his efficient scoring. Young shot 6-18 on the night, taking a bunch of long twos, including a turnaround 18-footer early in the shot clock. While players like Turner and Hawes have drastically improved their shot selection profile this season under the new regime, Young has taken a noticeable step back.

Tanking Implications:

The Sixers continued to battle and were in the game until the the closing minutes. We discussed the flashes of potential from Tony Wroten, and James Anderson played well, jumping into passing lanes defensively and hitting some big threes in the fourth quarter. These efforts are much more enjoyable to watch than the routs like in New Orleans over the weekend. You can’t be too upset with a hard-fought effort that ultimately helped the tanking cause. 4/5 tanks.