Mavericks Vs. 76ers: Dallas Takes The Win As Philly Falls Apart In Second Half

Dirk Nowitzki Beat The 76ers By Himself

Dirk Nowitzki basically beat the Philadelphia 76ers by himself, and that's only a slight exaggeration. You see, Philadelphia entered the second half with a 51-37 lead over the Dallas Mavericks. All was well and Philly was up comfortably. And then disaster struck.

Eight points in the third quarter was the disaster, and suddenly the lead was gone. Dallas took the advantage into the final frame, where the Sixers scored just 16 points. Add it all up and you've got 24 second half points for the Sixers in an 82-75 loss to the Mavs.

But it gets better! Nowitzki scored just four points in the first half. He finished with 28 points for the game. Another quick bit of math tells us he scored 24 points in the second half. For those keeping track at home, that means Nowitzki scored the same amount of points as the entire 76ers team in the second half.

Lockout basketball is the best, you guys!

Mavericks Vs. 76ers: Philly Puts Together Bad Second Half In Loss

At halftime of their home game against the Dallas Mavericks, the Philadelphia 76ers had 52 points and a 15-point lead. Incredibly, they managed just 24 total points in the second half across both quarters, as the Mavs rode Dirk Nowitzki and their defense to an 82-75 win.

While most of his teammates struggled offensively, Nowitzki scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the win. Shawn Marion missed his first six shots and finished with six points on 3-13 shooting from the floor. As a team, the Mavericks shot just 38 percent.

That was better than the even poorer 34 percent that the Sixers shot from the floor, which included 1-14 shooting from behind the arc. They managed just eight points in the third quarter. Andre Igoudala was the only Philadelphia starter who scored in double digits, finishing with 10 points. Jrue Holiday and Jodie Meeks both failed to make a shot from the field.

For more on the Sixers, head over to Philadelphia 76ers blog Liberty Ballers and SB Nation Phillly. For more on the Mavs, check out Dallas Mavericks blog Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas.

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