The Sixers kicked off a six-game road trip by securing a Sunday afternoon win in Dallas.
They earned a 130-125 victory over the Mavs at American Airlines Center.
Quentin Grimes tallied 28 points and six assists for the Sixers, who improved to 23-44.
Jalen Hood-Schifino scored a career-high 19 points.
P.J. Washington had a 29-point, 12-rebound day for the 33-36 Mavs. Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall recorded 21 points apiece.
Both teams were injury-ravaged. The Sixers were down 10 players:
- Tyrese Maxey (lower back sprain and right finger sprain)
- Paul George (left groin soreness)
- Andre Drummond (left toe sprain)
- Adem Bona (left ankle sprain)
- Kelly Oubre Jr. (right knee sprain)
- Lonnie Walker IV (concussion)
- Kyle Lowry (right hip injury)
- Joel Embiid (season-ending left knee injury)
- Jared McCain (season-ending left lateral meniscus surgery)
- Eric Gordon (season-ending right wrist surgery)
The Sixers will face the Rockets on Monday night. Here are observations on their victory over the Mavs:
Dallas dominates 1st half in transition
Facing his former team, Grimes predictably scored the Sixers’ first bucket with a driving layup. He also drained a mid-range jumper a couple of minutes later. For Dallas, Washington was the early go-to-guy. He scored the Mavs’ first six points and posted 14 in his opening stint.
Dallas started 0 for 7 from three-point range, but the Mavs crushed the Sixers in transition. After Washington cruised in for a layup, Dallas held a 12-1 edge in fast-break points. The Mavs’ first-half advantage in that category was 23-4.
While the Mavs did sharp work running off of both turnovers and misses, the Sixers’ resistance was minimal in transition. Ball handlers often steamed forward and got all the way to the rim. That’s been the case in many games this season.
According to Cleaning the Glass, the Sixers entered the day ranked 28th in transition defense (opponents adding 3.6 points per 100 possessions through transition play).
Sixers make do without centers
Hood-Schifino was a bright spot in his second game as a Sixer. He swished a three-pointer on his first shot, made two more triples in the first quarter, and reached his NBA career high before halftime.
Oshae Brissett and Chuma Okeke also played for the second time with the Sixers.
Okeke, who signed a 10-day contract Sunday, first inked a 10-day Sixers deal last month. He ended up playing just two garbage-time minutes in the team’s Feb. 7 blowout loss to the Pistons. Okeke logged 16 minutes Sunday, threw down a put-back dunk in the first quarter, and finished with five points and four rebounds.
Brissett had 13 points, five rebounds and two steals. He played some as a small-ball center. Though Brissett has previously filled that role in the NBA, neither he nor Guerschon Yabusele are sterling rim protectors or great deterrents to opposing drivers. Alex Reese, who Sixers head coach Nick Nurse described Friday as a “stretch four,” played at center late in the second quarter. The Sixers shifted to zone defense for the final few minutes of the first half.
The team’s defensive effort was not stellar in a half where Dallas poured in 68 points, but it’s very challenging to hold up without any truly natural centers.
Grimes stars in 2nd half
The Sixers made a surge late in the second quarter and kept rolling in the third.
Grimes was in the middle of the action. He stole the ball from Brandon Williams, pushed ahead on a fast break and dished to Ricky Council IV for a lay-in that put the Sixers up 70-68.
Grimes did it all the third quarter — run the offense; drive hard; make tough shots through contact; defend well on the ball. His and-one layup layup late in the third extended the Sixers’ lead to 10 points.
As a team, the Sixers followed Grimes’ lead on both ends. They pressured the rim ruthlessly, played much better defense, and capitalized on the Mavs’ extreme lack of healthy players. The Sixers’ five-man bench scored 57 points and Dallas’ three-man second unit recorded 38.
With Grimes resting early in the fourth quarter, Hood-Schifino knocked down a key three. Okeke and Jeff Dowtin Jr. drilled timely jumpers, too.
The last minute was tense, but the Sixers never squandered their lead. Grimes, Jared Butler and Hood-Schifino all sunk clutch free throws to ensure the Sixers exited Dallas with a victory.
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