By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Dallas Mavericks recovered from a slow start and used a momentum-clinching second-half performance to crush the banged-up Philadelphia 76ers, 118-102, last February 6, 2024, in the ongoing NBA regular season.
After trailing in the first half, Dallas quickly flipped the switch in the last two quarters with their high-octane offense and outscored the 76ers, 65-45.
From a dismal shooting in the first quarter, the Mavericks finally found their shooting stroke led by the returning Kyrie Irving who exploded in the second half.
The superstar point guard turned it up in the third frame when he only missed a single shot attempt out of his six total tries.
In that sequence, Irving fired 11 quick points for the Mavericks and became the turning point when Dallas established their first double-digit lead of the ball game.
After missing the past two weeks due to an injury, Irving came back as if he never left and finished the game with 23 points built from an efficient 10/17 shooting from the field.
Aside from his scoring exhibition, Irving also gave the much-needed intangibles in the second half and tallied eight assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a block.
Josh Green also stepped up for the Mavericks and backstopped Irving as the team’s second-best scorer of the night with 20 markers, six rebounds, and four dimes.
Despite the 76ers limiting Luka Doncic to just 19 points in 35 minutes of playing time, Dallas’ onslaught in the second half couldn’t be stopped as their balanced offensive attack made the difference in the game.
With the win, the Mavericks just snapped its two-game losing streak and re-entered the NBA winning column in the month of February.
On the other hand, Philadelphia is still without its franchise player Joel Embiid who will have to go to rehabilitation after his left knee surgery.
