In search of their first win of the season, the Sixers (0-7) play their first game since Sunday tonight against Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks (5-3). Coverage begins at 8:30 on CSN. This kicks off the first of three games the Sixers will play in Texas over the coming days. The biggest storyline heading into tonight's matchup is the return of reigning Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter-Williams. The second year guard out of Syracuse will make his debut tonight after recovering from shoulder surgery in the offseason. Nerlens Noel will also be back after suffering a sprained ankle, causing him to miss two games.
Rest won't be a problem for the Sixers as they take the court for the first time since enduring their first blowout loss of the season on Sunday night in Toronto. Tony Wroten and company were outplayed to the tune of a 120-88 loss. The team's free throw shooting woes continued to struggle, hitting 66.7% of them on Sunday night against the Raptors. The Sixers find themself last in the NBA in success from the charity stripe with a less than mediocre percentage of 64.7. Finding a consistent offensive groove is tough for a team with a slim amount of NBA talent, as the Sixers are ranked 27th in the NBA when it comes to field goal percentage, hitting 42.6% of their shots, 7.1% lower than the first-place Warriors. Tony Wroten led the Sixers with 18 points on Sunday night.
The Mavericks come into tonight's game ranked third in the NBA in scoring with just over 105 points per game. Not only do they have a weapon in Dirk, but also in Tyson Chandler, Monta Ellis and Chandler Parsons. On Tuesday night, the Mavericks earned their fifth win of the year against the Kings, 106-98. Dirk finished with 23 points and seven rebounds. Dallas won despite being outrebounded by ten. Thus far, the Mavericks' three losses have been to San Antonio, Miami and Portland. They have won against the Kings, Pelicans, Celtics and twice against the Jazz.
Game Notes:
- Although Michael Carter-Williams will return tonight for the Sixers, Keith Pompey of Philly.com says he likely won't start. Neither will Nerlens Noel. KJ McDaniels gets his first career start.
- The Sixers (37.6) and Mavericks (38.4) rank 28th and 27th respectively in the NBA when it comes to rebounding.
- On Tuesday, Dirk Nowitzki passed Hakeem Olajuwon for ninth on the all-time scoring list. He also become the NBA's all-time leading foreign scorer.
- The Sixers have lost eight straight games in Dallas.
- Michael Carter-Williams scored 25 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out six assists in one game against Dallas last season.
- According to numberfire.com, the Sixers will be favored in just seven of their remaining 75 games.
Projected Lineups:
Sixers
PG Tony Wroten
SG Hollis Thompson
SF KJ McDaniels
PF Luc Mbah a Moute
C Henry Sims
Mavericks
PG Jameer Nelson
SG Monta Ellis
SF Chandler Parsons
PF Dirk Nowitzki
C Tyson Chandler
Injuries: For the Sixers, Joel Embiid (foot), Jerami Grant (ankle), Malcolm Thomas (knee) and Jason Richardson (foot/knee) are all out. Alexey Shved (back) is doubtful. Michael Carter Williams (shoulder) and Nerlens Noel (ankle) are expected to play.
For Dallas, Raymond Felton (ankle) is out while Philadelphia native, Jameer Nelson (hamstring) is expected to play.
Prediction: Dallas averages 105.1 points per game while the Sixers score just over 93 points. Numbers wont lie here. The Sixers regain their fight after a tough loss in Toronto, but Dallas emerges victorious, 108-97.
Brandon Apter is a writer for Sixerdelphia.com
