It was not pretty.
From Chandler Parson’s bloody nose to the barrage of bricks in the third quarter, the Dallas Mavericks needed all the help they could get on Monday night. But behind Parson’s season-high 20 points and Dirk Nowitzki, who led all scorers with 21, the Mavericks (7-4) overcame a late run by the Philadelphia 76ers to win 92-86.
The woes for the 76ers (0-11) continued, as Philadelphia lost its 21st consecutive game dating back to last season. Dallas led by as much as 19 points in the first half before the 76ers scored 25 of the final 36 first half points to enter the locker room down 49-44.
“They’re a tough team and they get under your skin defensively,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “We had some retaliation fouls, especially in the first half and we need to eliminate those.”
The Mavericks jumped on the 76ers early, taking a 28-15 lead into the second quarter. Parsons started the game 7/8 from the floor and scored his 20th point before halftime on a three pointer from the elbow.
“I just took what the defense gave me,”Parsons said. “They went under on ball screens and I had to make them pay.”
But things only got worse from there, with Dallas surrendering its lead late in the fourth quarter when the 76ers took an 82-81 lead on free throws from Nerlens Noel. Thankfully for Dallas fans, the big German took over, as Nowitzki scored seven of the Maverick’s next nine points including a three pointer to ice the game at 90-84.
With the win, Dallas moved into sole possession of second place in the Southwest Division, just one game behind the San Antonio Spurs.
Next Up: The Mavericks round out their three game round trip at Boston on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. EST, 6 p.m. CST.
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