Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center, the Philadelphia 76ers will host the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas has been having a rough patch as of late, but they’re trying to make a playoff push in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the 76ers’ current focus is on finishing the season strong and getting back to the winning side of things.
While Dallas’ seven-point victory in their first meeting earlier this month was impressive, sweeping the season series against Philadelphia will be no easy feat.
Updates Injury for Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks’ season, which was shaping up to be one to remember, is in jeopardy as the playoffs approach. The Mavericks enter this game in 11th place, a half-game out of the playoffs.
They are in a panic due to a recent 3-7 run as the stretch run of the season approaches, and a trip to Philadelphia isn’t likely to help matters.
They’re losing overall, and they’re losing on the road, too, with a 15–23 record. With recent comments from players, the team’s on-court struggles and off-court distractions may be too much for them to bear.
Even with the likes of Luka Doncic (32.9 ppg) and Kyrie Irving (26.3 ppg) leading the way, they likely won’t be able to compete with the best teams in the NBA.
In Monday’s 127-104 win over the Pacers, Luka Doncic played 28 minutes and finished with 25 points (8-17 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 5-5 FT), seven rebounds, six assists, and one steal.
Due to the NBA overturning Doncic’s 16th technical foul of the season, the star point guard did not have to sit out Monday’s game against the Pacers as was originally scheduled.
Doncic’s minutes were limited by coach Jason Kidd on the second night of the back-to-back set due to the lopsided score, but he still managed to put up a respectable line.
Doncic still faces a one-game suspension for his next technical foul, so the Mavericks’ young star will need to be careful around the officials over the next two weeks to avoid missing any time.
The fact that Dallas is playing with two players out due to injuries doesn’t help. Maxi Kleber (hamstring) joins Frank Ntilikina (knee) as players who may or may not play. While neither is particularly prominent, their absence would be felt.
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When Philadelphia returns home, they will have to deal with their own set of problems that have arisen recently. Once considered a top team in the Eastern Conference, they have won just three of their last ten games and just once in their last five.
Most of those losses occurred on the road, so they’re probably relieved to get back to their 26-11 record in their own building, which is good for second best in the league. It’s also unlikely that they’ve forgotten about their road loss to Dallas almost a month ago, which will fuel their desire for vengeance.
They know that this is a great chance to get back on track mentally and gain some momentum before a tough stretch of games.
Philadelphia, like their opponent, is dealing with a couple injuries, though theirs are more serious. Both James Harden (Achilles) and Joel Embiid (calf) are doubtful for this game. Harden has missed the last four games, while Embiid missed the previous game. As the team’s driving force, even a single day without you could prove disastrous.
For the last three games, Embiid has been listed as questionable; he played in the first two, but he didn’t play on Monday against the Nuggets.
On game day, we should know more about the MVP candidate’s availability, with Dewayne Dedmon likely returning to the bench if Embiid is given the go.
With the MVP race so close, Embiid will likely see increased playing time down the stretch.
