Tobias Harris scored 28 points, Tyrese Maxey added 24 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Dallas Mavericks 120-116 on Sunday.
Kelly Oubre Jr. had 19 of his 21 points four minutes into the third quarter as the Sixers won consecutive games for the second time in the 14 straight games Joel Embiid missed, improving to 6-8 in total. There is no timetable for the reigning MVP’s return from left knee surgery.
“Everyone is figuring out our overall chemistry as a group,” said Harris, who came off a slump with 31 points in the previous game, a 121-114 win over Charlotte. “We knew it was going to take time … to find ways to be successful. We just have to keep at it.”
Luka Doncic had 38 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his third straight triple-double, but the NBA scoring leader also made seven of 17 turnovers for the sloppy Mavericks.
Dallas was outscored 25-13 in points on turnovers and lost for the fourth time in five games since a seven-game winning streak, its longest of the season.
Kyrie Irving scored 28 points and Derrick Jones Jr. had 21. But PJ Washington Jr. and Tim Hardaway Jr. combined to go 4 of 18 from the field, including 1 of 13 from 3-point range, for Dallas.
Trying to maintain its playoff position without Embiid, Philadelphia had a scare with Maxey in the third quarter when the first-time All-Star fell hard and stayed on the ground for a few minutes.
Maxey left the field on his own and remained out for the rest of the quarter. He returned to start the fourth, finishing 8 of 15 from the field and making all seven of his free throws, including five in the fourth quarter. Maxey said he took a knee to the head, but doctors cleared him to play.
“I just slipped,” Maxey said. “I’m probably going too fast, thinking I’m Flash or something.”
A frustrated Doncic earned his 14th technical of the season in the fourth quarter and is now two away from an automatic one-game suspension with 21 games remaining.
The Mavericks scored the first 11 points of the game but still found themselves trailing by 10 before the end of the first quarter, thanks to Maxey’s 17 points in the first quarter.
A hot start faded to 42% after three quarters before Dallas rallied with better shooting in the fourth.
“Our offense is our defense,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “When we score, we’re going to be one of the best teams in this league. When we don’t score, we’re one of the worst teams. When we struggle to score, we tend to do nothing on the field. defensive end.”
The Mavericks had cut Philadelphia’s largest lead of 18 with seven minutes remaining to four when Oubre came out of the lane to Harris for a corner 3 with 1:11 left.
The Sixers held off Dallas’ rally by making five of six free throws in the final 25 seconds, including one of two from Oubre to give Philadelphia a four-point lead with five seconds remaining.
Buddy Hield, who scored 11 points, hit a jumper to start a 10-0 run for a 74-59 Philadelphia lead midway through the third quarter.
FOLLOWING
76ers: at Brooklyn on Tuesday.
Mavericks: Indiana at home Tuesday.
