The Dallas Mavericks have the look of a team that has started to figure some things out. Flagg has improved game to game, Nembhard has emerged as a starting-capable point guard, and the front court has some of its
depth back with Anthony Davis returning and Daniel Gafford not having to shoulder the entire weight of the center position.
Philly, as seems to be the case every year, has looked promising, but are dealing with injury to a number of starters, including Joel Embiid, who is unlikely to be available to play against Dallas because of an illness and knee injury. The 76ers are also without Kelly Oubre. Playing against the Knicks on the first leg of a back-to-back won’t do the shorthanded squad any favors, either.
Attack mode
Over the last 10 games, Dallas has the seventh-most drives per game. Their concerted effort to get to the rim, especially from players who are high-quality finishers like Flagg, Davis, and Nembhard, the Mavericks have seen their FG% close to the rim, from five to nine feet from the hoop, to 51.3%, fifth-best on the season.
It’s a marked shift in play style and offensive efficacy from a team that was allergic to paint touches early in the year. Not only has getting to the rim paid dividends in terms of shooting percentages, but they’re also earning their fair share of trips to the free-throw line, which has been a deciding factor in quite a few of their victories. Just against Detroit, Dallas marched to the line 36 times compared to the Pistons’ 20, and Dallas made 31, good for a team F% of 86%. Every point matters in an overtime victory.
Marking Maxey
Tyrese Maxey has emerged as a true cornerstone for Philadelphia, as he’s leading the team in points (31.5) assists (7.2), and steals (1.7).
The 76ers’ second leading scorer, Embiid, is unlikely to suit up for Dallas, so the load that will be squarely on Maxey’s shoulders will be just that much heavier to deliver — especially offensively. Philadelphia’s next highest scorer is the 35-year-old Paul George. He’s a danger to get hot on any given night, but it’d be surprising if that night came on the second game of a back-to-back.
If Dallas can shut down Maxey, Philadelphia’s offense might just be stuck in the mud. The Mavs, on the other hand, is a team whose offensive output is much more diversified. They have eight players averaging double-digit scoring, but no one is averaging above 20 per game.
Petition to move East
Dallas will be heading to Philadelphia as the winners of five out of their last seven games, with their most recent coming against the East’s top-rated team. This season they’ve also already notched victories against the Raptors and Heat — the number three and seven teams in the East — and lost by just two points to the second-seeded Knicks, who had to mount a furious fourth-quarter comeback to earn the dub.
Contrast that with how they’ve fared in the West (though the Denver and Houston victories are promising), and you can see which way the power in the league is shifted.
The 76ers are currently fifth in the East and, considering the two teams’ current trajectories, might add another Eastern Conference notch to their belt. The status of Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson is up in the air, but if Dallas rolls into Philly largely healthy, against a short-handed team on a back-to-back, their trademark late-season surge might officially be coming early.
