Dallas Mavericks 115, Sixers 112 (preseason): Embiid dominates but Sixers drop final dress rehearsal

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Well, that's the last morning basketball the Sixers will play for the foreseeable future, and their last action before the games actually matter.

This is the last contest we'll see decided by the deep reserves for a long time. Villanova's Jalen Brunson (11 points in eight minutes) helped lift the Mavericks to a 115-112 win Monday with some clutch shots in the final minutes. Demetrius Jackson missed a potential game-tying thee-pointer for the Sixers in the dying seconds.

Here a few observations from the team's final dress rehearsal:

• The Sixers started slow for the second straight game, falling behind 19-11. They gave up long rebounds, didn’t close out on shooters, didn’t move the ball on offense, and generally didn’t look ready to play. That’s not a problem in the preseason, but they obviously can’t afford to gift the Celtics an early lead on opening night. 

• There are just so few players in the NBA who are a fair match for Joel Embiid, and he knows it. Embiid was ultra-aggressive early, scoring 12 points on 5 for 11 shooting in the first quarter and having his way with whoever the Mavericks threw at him in the post. Three-point shooting (0 for 6) and turnovers (four) were his two weak spots on Monday, and areas that remain concerns for him heading into the season. Still, if Embiid can stay healthy, there's no reason he can't be a legitimate MVP candidate.

Embiid had 29 points on 11 for 22 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes. 

• Robert Covington had by far his best game of the preseason, with 18 points on 7 of 16 shooting and six steals. Covington was just 5 for 13 in the first three preseason contests.

• T.J. McConnell got his first non-fourth quarter minutes of the preseason, entering the game in the middle of the first quarter. The Sixers went with an intriguing lineup of McConnell at the one, JJ Redick at the two, and Mike Muscala, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid in the frontcourt. That group cut into the Mavs’ lead, with McConnell dipping in for one of his patented 10-foot leaners and Simmons and Embiid teaming up well in the post. 

McConnell posted eight points on 4 for 4 shooting, three rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes. He was a plus-15, the best of any Sixer. 

• Brett Brown briefly rolled out another interesting unit early in the second quarter, with a backcourt of McConnell at the point and JJ Redick and Landry Shamet on the wings. With Redick and Shamet’s defenders glued to their men, McConnell had plenty of space to probe the paint. While it’s not a lineup you’d expect Brown to stick with for sustained stretches because of its defensive deficiencies, that could be a potent offensive unit off the bench. 

• It’s rare that you see a technical foul in a preseason game. But Simmons got one for taunting in the first quarter after flexing his muscles following a strong baseline drive and slam. Robert Covington picked up a technical of his own in the third quarter for complaining about a foul call. 

• Markelle Fultz has the length and quickness to be a good defender, but at this stage in his development, he still makes a lot of mistakes on that end of the court. Fultz often gets caught on top of screens and reaches instead of moving his feet. He picked up four fouls in his first nine minutes on the floor and fouled out early in the fourth quarter. 

• Too many fouls and too many turnovers were big issues for the Sixers last season, and they’ve continued to be problems in preseason play. The Sixers allowed the Mavs to shoot 36 free throws and turned it over 21 times Monday, with Simmons coughing it up seven times. If the officials keep enforcing the points of emphasis on restriction of movement, both in the perimeter and on the post, the Sixers need to adjust and be less physical off the ball. 

• Mike Muscala started in place of Dario Saric (rest). Saric will hope he can find his shooting touch by Oct. 16 — he made just 1 of 10 three-pointers in the preseason. Muscala had a quiet game, with three points and five rebounds on 1 for 5 shooting in 25 minutes. With Muscala starting, Amir Johnson was one of the first men off the bench as the backup center. 

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