Joel Embiid-less Sixers Fall To Luka Doncic, Mavericks
DALLAS (AP) -- Luka Doncic had 19 points and 12 assists, Dwight Powell scored 10 of his 19 points in a decisive third quarter and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 109-91 on Saturday night. Powell was 5 of 6 from the field and had four of his season-high 12 rebounds in the third quarter, when the Mavericks outscored the 76ers 32-16 to turn a nine-point deficit into a 73-66 lead that grew to a 21-point margin in the fourth.
Tobias Harris had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the 76ers. Philadelphia played its second game without Joel Embiid. The star center is sidelined after surgery for a torn ligament in a finger on his left hand.
It was Dallas' seventh straight game, and possibly last, without its big man, Kristaps Porzingis. The 7-foot-3 Latvian has been out with right knee soreness, not the same knee he injured in his final game with the New York Knicks.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 12 points and a season-high nine rebounds to help the Mavericks finish 3-3 on a six-game homestand, their longest of the season. Dallas erased a 12-point first-half deficit a night after getting manhandled by LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Doncic had another rough shooting night after ripping his jersey in frustration against the Lakers. The 20-year-old phenom going 4 of 15 but hitting 10 of 12 free throws. The NBA leader in triple-doubles with 11 had eight rebounds.
Ben Simmons had 11 points and 11 assists but was held scoreless in the second half as the Sixers lost their second straight in Texas.
Dallas reversed a woeful start on the boards by outrebounding the 76ers 18-9 in the third. Philadelphia grabbed the first 10 offensive rebounds of the game, but Dallas had a 5-1 edge in the third, with 10 second-chance points to two for the Sixers.
The 76ers held the Mavericks to a season low for a half while taking a 50-41 halftime lead. A lead fueled by seven steals, including one by Furkan Korkmaz for a reverse dunk on a breakaway, could have been bigger if not for 2-of-19 shooting on 3s in the first half.
TIP-INS
76ers: Josh Richardson had a four-point play in the second quarter, hitting a 3 as he was fouled by Seth Curry and making the free throw. Richardson and Al Horford scored 16 apiece. ... Coach Brett Brown got a technical foul in the second quarter for complaining that Doncic pushed off on a step-back 3 over Richardson, who also wanted the call.
Mavericks: Crowd favorite Boban Marjanovic sent the fans who were left into a frenzy with a 3-pointer in the final seconds against his former team. The 7-foot-4 Serbian had 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. The only miss was another 3 seconds before the one he made. Marajnovic was with the 76ers the latter part of last season and the run to the second round in the playoffs. ... Dorian Finney-Smith had 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
UP NEXT
76ers: At Indiana on Monday night.
Mavericks: At Golden State on Tuesday night to open a stretch of six out of nine games on the road.
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