James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts with Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden on February 27, 2022 in New York City. Philadelphia 76ers won 125-109. Adam Hunger/Getty Images/AFP
Joel Embiid had 32 points, eight rebounds and five steals to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Dallas Mavericks 111-101 on Friday.
James Harden added 24 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds and Tobias Harris scored 14 points for the Sixers. Georges Niang contributed 12 points and Matisse Thybulle had 10.
Joel Embiid scored 32 points and tied a career-high with 5 steals to power the @sixers to the win! @JoelEmbiid: 32 PTS | 8 REB | 4 AST | 5 STL pic.twitter.com/SXCruAVjjd
— NBA (@NBA) March 19, 2022
Jalen Brunson led the Mavericks with 24 points while Luka Doncic had 17 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds but shot 5-for-20 from the field.
Dwight Powell added 14 points, Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in with 12 and Dorian Finney-Smith had 11 for the Mavericks, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.
After the Mavericks bolted to a 43-36 lead, the Sixers scored the next seven points to tie the game midway through the second quarter, highlighted by Embiid’s nifty three-point play.
The Sixers tightened defensively and pulled out to a 58-53 advantage at halftime thanks in large part to Embiid’s 21 points.
Brunson paced the Mavericks with 15 in the first half and Doncic added 13, though he was limited to 3-of-11 from the field.
The Sixers came out aggressive in the third with a 3-pointer from Embiid and a driving layup from Harris for a 10-point lead.
Finney-Smith threw down a dunk and the Mavericks closed within 70-64 with 6:23 left in the third quarter. After an empty Sixers possession, Dinwiddie grabbed an offensive rebound and scored in the lane.
Harden then missed a 3-pointer, Dinwiddie dropped in two free throws and the deficit was two.
Niang knocked down three late 3-pointers and the Sixers took an 84-76 lead at the end of the third.
Seven quick points to open the fourth, capped by Harden’s deep trey, pushed the Sixers to a 15-point advantage.
Harden stayed hot, hit another 3-pointer, and Philadelphia led 96-78.
Dinwiddie kept the Mavericks within striking distance following a three-point play with 6:48 remaining to get within 102-90.
The Mavericks cut the deficit to 10 with 2:21 left, but Embiid responded with a layup to seal the victory.