Yes, Mavericks face critical test against lowly Sixers

The Dallas Mavericks have probably seen the future. And they know it doesn’t look very bright if they don’t win Sunday’s home game against the lowly Philadelphia 76ers.

The Sixers have the NBA’s worst record (8-46), worst road record (3-25), worst offense (95.5 points per game), worst point differential (minus-10.1), and have committed more turnovers (17.1) than any other team.

So, even though the struggling Mavericks have dropped five of their past six games, Sunday’s 6 p.m. tipoff at American Airlines Center should be the equivalent of lining up for a layup drill, right?

Not so fast, says Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle.

“I believe this is going to be one of the hardest games of the year,” Carlisle said after Saturday’s practice. “They’re an improved team and their speed and athleticism is a challenge.

The Mavericks (29-27) saw more than their share of young and athletic guys coming at them Friday when they played the Orlando Magic. But instead of 48 minutes, the Magic came at the Mavericks for 53 minutes and rallied from 14 down in the third quarter to defeat Dallas 110-104 in overtime.

The Sixers have lost seven of their past eight games and just can’t seem to win for losing. But Carlisle looks at the Sixers’ glass as half-full, because they’re 7-16 since trading for point guard Ish Smith on Dec. 24.

Still, considering the Sixers’ record, this is a crucial game for the Mavericks. Especially considering the heavyweights remaining on the Mavericks’ schedule.

“The record is very deceptive,” Carlisle said of the Sixers. “They’re a team that keeps playing, and if you get them down they play even harder. Look, we’ve got our hands full, there’s no question about it. They’re hard to play.”

The game begins a stretch where Dallas plays nine of its next 10 games at home, including six in a row. With the Mavericks’ playoff journey hanging precariously in the wind, Carlisle knows this homestand is extremely important.

“I think this is a great opportunity for us,” he said. “It has its challenges. Playing a big string of games at home is very challenging, but you know what, right now, bring ’em on. Bring all the challenges on. We’ve got to face up to it, and if we can’t do it, then we don’t belong in the hunt.”

Mavs’ dust-up

The heated exchange that took place between Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons and center Zaza Pachulia late in Friday’s loss to Orlando has apparently been squashed.

“They told me that they talked immediately after the game and the thing was resolved,” Carlisle said Saturday. “So that’s good enough for me.”

With 1:59 left in overtime, Parsons used a Pachulia screen to drop in a jumper and tie the game at 101-101. Words were exchanged between the two, and it continued as they went to the sideline after the Magic called timeout.

At one point, Pachulia pushed Parsons, and Parsons gave Pachulia a hug after shouting at him. The two talked calmly in the locker room after the game — in full view of the media.

“It’s nothing personal,” Parsons said. “He set a great screen. It really was nothing. I was telling him good screen and he was telling me good shot.”

Parsons instructed the media to “stop digging” for what he described as no big deal. Pachulia echoed that sentiment.

“It’s nothing at all,” Pachulia said. “That’s how you guys [the media] think. Trust me. I know. You see where we were talking and we’re trying to help this team trying to win — bottom line.”

This story was originally published February 20, 2016 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Yes, Mavericks face critical test against lowly Sixers."