The Dallas Mavericks, losers of three straight, kicked off 2026 by hosting the 76ers on Thursday night. Looking to draw even in their season series with Philadelphia, Dallas instead extended their overall losing streak with a 123-108 loss.

Let’s get to the grades!

9 PTS / 2 REB / 3 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 22 MIN

Nembhard went largely unnoticed outside of a few first quarter shots, and a big three in the second quarter that kept the Mavs connected at the time. Other than solid 4-for-7 shooting, there was not much to write home about, and two turnovers to three assists did not help his cause.

18 PTS / 1 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 29 MIN

Christie as more than a designated three-point shooter equals nice results. After dropping 25 points last game, he once again had some nice drives, a couple successful post-ups, and an opportunity to create with the ball in his hands. It’s a problem that he was the best player (by far) for the Mavs tonight, but kudos for him for being one of a handful who actually showed up.

12 PTS / 7 REB / 7 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 37 MIN

Flagg continues to show he can impact the game even when his shot isn’t falling (5-for-15). Generally speaking though, he did not kick off 2026 in style. He was frequently doubled, even with Anthony Davis having returned from injury, and it definitely affected his game. Like so many others, there just isn’t a whole lot to say.

11 PTS / 5 REB / 1 AST / 2 STL / 1 BLK – 34 MIN

Washington dropped a rebound he had in both hands, yielding it to VJ Edgecombe (who was on his back), then fouled Edgecombe on a made shot, epitomizing the disaster that was the second quarter. While that was an anomalous low-light, Washington was a bit too quiet again and was unable to make a material impact on the game in any noticeable way. The team leading minus-19 he registered while on the floor makes sense if you watched the game.

13 PTS / 8 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 37 MIN

Davis returned from a few days off and looked a step slow despite decent shooting for his first game back (6-for-13). Working heavily against him in the grade department was the matador defense he played when matched up with Joel Embiid (and others), along with a high frequency of turnovers (three) and too many fouls committed (three).

8 PTS / 5 REB / 0 AST / 2 STL / 0 BLK – 11 MIN

So few minutes often results in a player not being graded, but Gafford was productive for under a single quarter of play, hitting 3-for-5 from the floor and both of his free throw attempts while not turning it over even once. Solid if not somewhat uneventful night.

14 PTS / 7 REB / 5 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 24 MIN

Williams once again struggled with his shot, going 5-for-15 from the floor, but had a favorably disproportionate rebound total and solid assist total off the bench. A few blow-by drives were nice to look at, but not enough to pretty up an ugly game overall.

9 PTS / 1 REB / 1 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 22 MIN

If you’ve gotten this far, you’ve realized many of these grades look the same and result from similar game play. Marshall had a couple of his patented flip shots that brought the Mavs as close as they got in the second half, buoying his grade slightly, but for the most part there was nothing doing in this one for Marshall.

The Mavs clearly got the message that sleeping through the first quarter is not a recipe for success. They looked engaged and were hitting shots, though their defense wasn’t exactly what you’d call “lock down” in the opening frame and it only got worse from there. Aside from coming close in the early part of the fourth quarter, Dallas looked like they were still recovering from a New Year’s Eve hangover.

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