3 overreactions as 76ers sweep season series against Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks were back at home to start the New Year, returning from losing all three games on a road trip out West against the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, and Portland Trail Blazers. As bad as they've been on the road this year, they've been decent at home, but they'd have to get past the Philadelphia 76ers, who just beat them in Philly two weeks ago.

It started strong for the Mavericks, as they led by as much as eight in the first quarter, scoring 26 points in the paint on Joel Embiid, who was healthy enough to play in this game. Cooper Flagg and Max Christie had 8 points each in the opening frame, including two transition slams for the first overall pick.

But Philly started rolling at the start of the second quarter. Klay Thompson scored the first bucket of the frame, but then the 76ers ripped off a 14-2 run to take control of the game. And they wouldn't look back from there for a while. With less than three minutes remaining in the quarter, a three from former Maverick Quentin Grimes put them up by 11, which would be the difference at halftime.

The 76ers are one of the worst third-quarter teams in the NBA, so there was reason to believe the Mavs could get back in the game there, but Philly kept Dallas at arm's length. The lead never got below seven in this quarter, but Jaden Hardy came in to provide some much-needed offense to help it from getting out of hand.

The comeback started in the fourth thanks to some strong baskets from Naji Marshall. He had 7 points in the first few minutes of the frame, as Brandon Williams had an additional spark. But Quentin Grimes and Tyrese Maxey had something to say about that comeback attempt, instantly pushing the lead back to 9. It wasn't long until the 76ers had their longest lead of the game at 14 points, and the game would be over from there, as they'd go on to win, 123-108, sweeping the season series.

Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with a phenomenal outing: 34 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds on 14/24 shooting. VJ Edgecombe (23 points) and Joel Embiid (22 points) also had solid games for the 76ers, while the Mavericks were led by Max Christie with 18 points.

Here are three overreactions from this loss.

1. VJ Edgecombe May Have Won the Battle, But Cooper Flagg Will Win the War