(Sports Network) - The Dallas Mavericks begin a two-game road trip on Tuesday
night when they head to the Wells Fargo Center to take on the Philadelphia
76ers.
The Mavs have lost six of their last nine, including a home drubbing at the
hands of the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, 115-89. Dallas will play 16 of
its next 23 on the road with five of the next six away from home.
The last appearance at home certainly won't make Mavs fans miss them.
The Lakers led by 13 after the opening quarter and extended the cushion to 27
at halftime. Dallas showed little fight in the second half and no one was
pleased after that debacle.
"It was disgusting. It's disappointing for our fans what kind of game that
was," said Elton Brand, who will return to Philadelphia for the first time
after the Sixers amnestied him this past offseason. "We know how bad they
wanted this game. We should have wanted it as bad as they wanted it and we
didn't come with it."
The Lakers scored 67 points by the half and that shouldn't be too surprising.
The Mavericks rank 28th in opponents' scoring, but are sixth in scoring. Los
Angeles shot 48.8 percent from the field and Mavs' coach Rick Carlisle
emphasized defense at practice.
Defense tends to look better against the 76ers, who are fifth-to-last in the
NBA in scoring.
Philly rebounded from back-to-back losses with a 104-101 victory Sunday over
the Phoenix Suns at home. The Sixers have lost two in a row twice before the
most recent streak, and after both of those two-game setbacks, the Sixers
rattled off three wins in a row.
The Sixers, who are 5-4 at home this season, were led by Jrue Holiday on
Sunday. He established a new career high with 33 points, but also dished out
13 assists and committed only two turnovers.
"Thank God Jrue was on today," head coach Doug Collins said Sunday night. "He
was fantastic."
Holiday is third in the league in assists with 9.2 per game and his scoring is
up to 18.6 ppg, which ranks 19th in the league. What's plagued him has been
the turnovers and he still leads the NBA with 4.3 per game.
But Holiday has to be considered for his not just his first All-Star
appearance, but maybe the Most Improved Player award.
The Sixers as a team only committed eight turnovers on Sunday night and shot a
decent 48 percent from the field. They shot a fantastic 47.4 percent from the
3-point line, highlighted by a 3-for-5 night from Evan Turner.
The Mavericks, who play in Chicago on Wednesday night, have won 10 of their
last 12 against the 76ers, including two in a row in Philadelphia.
The Sports Network