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Philadelphia 76ers (21-11, first in the Eastern Conference) will host the Dallas Mavericks (15-15, ninth in the Western Conference) on Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center, in Philadelphia.
Despite losing 4 of the last 6, Philadelphia 76ers occupy the 1st spot in the Eastern Conference. On the other hand, while Dallas Mavericks are seeded a lowly ninth, they are picking up pace with a 7-3 record in their last 10 games.
This will be the first face-off between the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks in the NBA 2020-2021 season. Making things a bit more interesting is the fact that both teams come into this match on the back of a win in their last outing.
For the Philadelphia 76ers, the win against Toronoto Raptors was an epitome of a complete team effort. Tobias Harris led the team in scoring, while Joel Embiid registed a double-double. Luka Doncic, on the other hand, carried the Dallas Mavericks past the Boston Celtics in a thriller with two back-to-back clutch 3-pointers in the last 30 seconds of the game.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Dallas Maverics: Combined starting 5
With superstars like Ben Simmons, Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid on the floor, we can expect a blockbuster encounter on Thursday night. The home team will be eager to continue their winning run, while the visitors would want to solidify their spot at the top of the Eastern Conference standings.
In this article, we bring to you the best Philadelphia 76ers vs Dallas Mavericks combined starting 5.
Point Guard - Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
You must be living under a rock if you haven't acquainted yourself with 'Luka Magic'. Doncic has been phenomenal for the Dallas Mavericks ever since he was drafted. In his first year with the franchise, the European superstar won the Rookie of the Year award having averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game.
In the 2019-2020 NBA season, he tallied 43-17-13 in a game, becoming only the second player in NBA history to do so after Wilt Chamberlain. Talk about Dallas Mavericks picking up a once-in-a-generation player.
Speaking about his recent performance for the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic matched his previous career-high 42 points on February 6 this year. Just 6 days later, 'El Matador' went on to set a new career-high of 46 points, along with 12 assists, 8 rebounds, a block and a steal. Still wondering why he's special?
The 21-year-old is averaging 28.9 points this season, 8.2 rebounds, 9.1 assists and a steal, with a 34.9% three-point accuracy.
Shooting Guard - Tim Hardaway Jr. (Dallas Mavericks)
With Kristaps Porzingis out due to a back injury & Willie Cauley-Stein averaging less than 6 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. will have to step up for the Dallas Mavericks. The 28-year-old's role is all the more important as Mavericks, placed at the 9th spot, want to get back into the top 8 as soon as possible.
Tim Hardaway Jr. was brilliant against the Memphis Grizzlies, scoring 29 points for the Dallas Mavericks (9-14 FG, 7-11 3Pt, 4-5 FT) across 28 minutes off the bench.
However, with only 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists a game, Hardway will need to improve on his overall production for the Dallas Mavericks going forward.
Center - Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
If there is a player who has revived the possibility of a big-man winning the MVP for the 1st time after Shaquille O'Neal, it is Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. Against the Chicago Bulls recently, the Philadelphia 76ers center became only the 2nd player in franchise history after Wilt Chamberlain to record a game with 50 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists.
While Shaq isn't one of the easy ones to get impressed by the new generation of players, after watching Embiid drop 50 he said:
“The game he played the other day [against the Bulls] had me in tears. I haven’t seen a big man play that way in a long time. I haven’t seen a big man in the MVP conversation in a long time.”
Embiid is one of the top scorers in the NBA 2020-2021 season with 30.3 points per game. He also forces the defence to commit defensive fouls, as is evident from his average of 11.7 free-throws per game. And the 26-year-old is doing all of that while being a force to reckon with on the defensive side of the court.
Small Forward - Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)
Ben Simmons has been at the receiving end of a lot of criticism, especially owing to his inability to shoot jumpshots. However, his average of 15.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.6 streals per game tells a different story altogether. If there's a lesson to be learned here, it's that a player doesn't have to be elite in all departments to become a superstar in this league.
Over the past couple of years, questions have also been raised regarding the effectiveness of the partnership between Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. But this year, the Philadephia 76ers are looking to make a genuine title run led by Doc Rivers.
Power Forward - Tobias Harris (Philadelphia 76ers)
The Philadelphia 76ers bought Tobias Harris in 2019 to add a little experience to their young lineup. After all, the 28-year-old has been in the league for a decade, and knows what to do to take a team forward (or what not to do, considering the poor run of all of his previous teams).
Tobias Harris stepped on the gas as soon as he joined the Philadelphia 76ers. On January 4, 2021, Tobias Harris earned the Eastern Conference's Player of the Week. Just two days later, he scored his 10,000th point in a game against the Washington Wizards.
Making January a little more special, Harris hit a game-winning pull-up jumpshot with 3.7 seconds remaining, to help the Philadelphia 76ers defeat the LA Lakers 107–106 victory. At 20.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists a game, Tobias is having one of the most productive seasons of his career. .
That was our Philadelphia 76ers vs Dallas Mavericks comined starting 5! Think you can suggest a better starting lineup? Let the author know in the comments section down below!
