The Philadelphia 76ers will get back at it on Friday night after taking their first home loss of the season on Wednesday. Friday’s opponent is the much improved Dallas Mavericks who come in with an 18-9 record, which is good for fourth in the Western Conference.
Dallas will, unfortunately, be missing superstar Luka Doncic who was playing at a torrid pace before he suffered an ankle injury that has put him on the shelf. It still does not mean they aren’t a dangerous group led by Kristaps Porzingis so this will still be a formidable challenge for the Sixers.
With that being said, it’s time for the guide to Friday’s matchup:
How to watch Sixers vs. Mavericks
- Date: Friday, December 20
- Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA
- TV: ESPN, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Injury Report
- Sixers: NONE
- Mavericks: OUT: Luka Doncic(right ankle sprain), QUESTIONABLE: Seth Curry(lower back tightness), Delon Wright(right 5th finger sprain)
Storylines
Harris wants to see more zone
The Sixers were undone by a zone defense in their loss to the Heat on Wednesday when they were not able to find enough shooting to bust the zone. Philadelphia shot 12-for-39 on the night and shooters like Tobias Harris, Josh Richardson, and Mike Scott struggled a bit to knock down open looks. Harris would like to see more zone as he is confident the Sixers won’t shoot that poorly again.
“To be honest, we kind of hope they do play it, because we know we’re not going to shoot like that,” Harris said. “We make a couple of shots. That’s why teams don’t really play zone. Guys make shots and then they get up out of the zone real quick, especially three-point looks.”
Simmons continues to impress on defense
The Sixers came up short on Wednesday, but the defense of Ben Simmons continues to be a standout. His defense was superb against Heat star Jimmy Butler and even against secondary scorer Kendrick Nunn. He also made a few big plays late to really help Philadelphia stay in the game and make something of it, but it wasn’t enough. Still, his work on that end continues to be impressive.
“I think that Ben is first in our league as a defensive player,” said coach Brett Brown. “I’m probably biased because I am his coach, but he has to be considered amongst the elite and maybe one of the better Defensive Player of the Year candidates, in my opinion.”
Prediction
The NBA is a copy cat league so the Mavericks could see what the Heat did to frustrate the Sixers and use that zone defense for their own benefit. The Sixers are a much better shooting team than what they showed against Miami. This is a prideful team and a team that was hurt by the loss and they will have their chance on Friday to bounce back in a big way. Not having Doncic out there helps the Sixers immensely in this one
Pick: Sixers pull away in the second half
Sixers vs. Mavericks season series
Game 1 December 20:
Game 2 January 11:
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