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Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia 76ers will host the Dallas Mavericks at the Wells Fargo Center in an enticing 2020-21 NBA game on Thursday. The matchup will see MVP candidates Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid go head to head.
The 15-15 Dallas Mavericks have had an underwhelming campaign this season, currently occupying the ninth position in the Western Conference. However, they have fared well in recent games, winning seven of their last ten outings.
The Dallas Mavericks edged out Boston Celtics 110-107 in their last game, thanks to two clutch threes from their star player Luka Doncic.
The Philadelphia 76ers, meanwhile, have managed to top the Eastern Conference standings despite inconsistent displays in their last ten games.
Doc Rivers' side have managed just five wins during this period. Any more slipups could cost them the top spot to the surging Brooklyn Nets.
The Philadelphia 76ers come into this matchup after a 109-102 win against the Toronto Raptors. All-star snub Tobias Harris led the team with 23 points in that game.
Considering their stellar 13-2 home record this campaign, the Philadelphia 76ers are favorites to take the win in this game.
Dallas Mavericks vs Philadelphia 76ers: Injury Updates
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks have two injury concerns ahead of their match against the Philadelphia 76ers. Kristaps Porzingis (back) and Maxi Kleber (ankle) are both listed as day-to-day, with the duo also missing the Boston Celtics game.
Philadelphia 76ers
Seth Curry is the only player in the Philadelphia 76ers' injury list; he is listed as day-to-day due after reporting an ankle issue.
Dallas Mavericks vs Philadelphia 76ers: Predicted Lineups
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are likely to play an unchanged lineup if Kristaps Porzingis and Maxi Kleber are available.
Their back-court will likely feature Josh Richardson and Luka Doncic, with Dwight Powell and James Johnson to provide cover for Porzingis and Kleber, respectively, if required. Dorian Finney-Smith could be partnering with the other two frontcourt stars to complete the starting 5.
Jalen Brunson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Boban chipped in with big performances in the last game. They will be expected to play key rotation minutes for the Dallas Mavericks once again.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers could sweat for the availability of Seth Curry, else Furkan Kokmaz will slot in as one of the guards.
The rest of their squad is fit and available at the moment, which means Ben Simmons, Danny Green, Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid will be the other starters.
Shake Milton is likely to play over 25 minutes from the bench yet again to provide cover in the backcourt area. Meanwhile, the likes of Dwight Howard and Mike Scott could play rotation minutes for the frontcourt starts.
Dallas Mavericks vs Philadelphia 76ers: Predicted Starting 5s
Dallas Mavericks
G Josh Richardson, G Luka Doncic, F Dorian Finney-Smith, F James Johnson, C Dwight Powell.
Philadelphia 76ers
G Seth Curry, G Ben Simmons, F Tobias Harris, F Danny Green, C Joel Embiid.
Guess the Lakers players!
