Coming off a 1-3 end to a four-game Eastern Conference road trip, the Dallas Mavericks (34-27) sought to bounce back with a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers (35-25) on Sunday, with a noon local tipoff. The Mavs had a flat performance, losing 120-116 to the Sixers, marking the team’s fourth loss in the last five games.

The Mavs started hot, jumping to an 11-0 lead over the Sixers, with Donic’s step-back 3-pointer prompting Philadelphia to call a timeout. The early surge did not last. Dallas allowed a 14-2 run immediately after, resulting in trailing for the first time.

The momentum continued in the Sixers’ favor, with Tyrese Maxey scoring 17 points in the opening period. After he converted on a step-back 3-pointer and converted a floater, Philadelphia went up 32-22 late to end the first quarter. Dallas went from making its first four shot attempts to closing the period shooting 3-16 from the floor the rest of the way.

Doncic heated up to rally the Mavs back to open the second quarter, scoring six consecutive points. After receiving a pass on the trail from Doncic, Kyrie Irving’s finger roll cut the Sixers’ lead to 34-32 with over 10 minutes before halftime. Dallas failed to build on this progress, getting outscored 12-5 and trailing 46-37, entering a timeout called midway through the second quarter.

Doncic again attempted to create momentum for the Mavs, scoring six consecutive points using an and-one floater and a step-back 3-pointer. Dallas could not get defensive stops, resulting in a continued deficit, with a layup by Maxey through contact pushing Philadelphia to a 12-point lead.

At halftime, the Sixers were up 56-51 on the Mavs, with various themes in their struggles. Dallas had 11 turnovers compared to one by Philadelphia, resulting in a 14-0 disadvantage in points off turnovers. The Mavs were outscored 30-16 in points in the paint, with an inability to contain the Sixers in drop coverage or out on the perimeter being a frequent source of problems.

Coming out of halftime, the Mavs were more focused on blitzing Maxey to make the Sixers play out of 4-on-3 situations. Hield converted on a pair of jumpers to push the Sixers back by double figures early in the third quarter; then Kyle Lowry hit a corner 3-pointer to push it to 13. Philadelphia has held a double-figure lead since that point.

With the Mavs continuing sluggish execution on both ends, Philadelphia led by as much as 17 points late in the third quarter. The lack of momentum carried into the fourth quarter, with the Sixers picking apart the Mavs in the half-court.

After Kelly Oubre Jr. converted on a short-range jumper, the Sixers achieved an 18-point advantage with 8:32 remaining in regulation, prompting the Mavs to call a timeout. Later, a step-back 3-pointer from Doncic followed by a pair of made free throws from Irving resulted in the Mavs trailing by a seven-point margin, the closest they came since shortly after halftime.

A short-range jumper from Nic Batum and a defensive stop nearly helped the Sixers stifle the Mavs’ late rallying effort. Irving hit a pull-up jumper in the paint to bring Dallas within five points (110-105) with under two minutes left, but Harris converted on a corner 3-pointer to push Philadelphia up by eight. Dallas continued to make efforts to rally back with time running out.

A putback by Washington made it a six-point game with under a minute left before Harris made a floater to answer. A made 3-pointer by Doncic once again brought the Mavs back within five points. Dallas nearly forced an 8-second violation but retained possession after a review. After a foul, Maxey made two free throws to push the Sixers up 117-110 with 25.1 seconds left.

While playing the foul game to close it out, the Mavs came within three points after Irving’s 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds left to play but could not achieve a comeback.

The Mavs will face the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, continuing a three-game homestand.