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

Dec 20, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Vj Edgecombe (77) reacts with Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) during the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

VJ Edgecombe has had two really good games against the Mavericks so far, and that was no different in this one, as he finished with 23 points and 4 steals, while Cooper Flagg had 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Edgecombe may have slightly outplayed Flagg in the two 76ers' wins over the Mavs this year, but Cooper Flagg should still be the favorite for Rookie of the Year.

2. Games Like These Really Make You Hate Nico Harrison...

Dec 28, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) gestures during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

11 months ago, Nico Harrison traded Quentin Grimes and a second-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for Caleb Martin. After Martin went through his physical and failed it, they got a second-round pick in 2030 from Philly to make the trade go through.

In this game, Quentin Grimes had 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks on 7/9 shooting, including 5/7 from three. Meanwhile, Caleb Martin had 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, and 0 blocks. Thanks, Nico Harrison.

3. Figuring out the Brandon Williams/Ryan Nembhard Rotation

Dec 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams (10) before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Brandon Williams has absolutely outplayed Ryan Nembhard in the last few weeks, as it seems like teams have started to adjust to what Nembhard does well. There's no denying that the offense looks much better with the two guards playing, but who should be starting until Kyrie Irving returns?

Even though Williams has been playing better, they need his bench presence, so he's likely to keep coming off the bench.

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