Dallas, TX
Mavericks at 76ers Preview: 3 things to watch for when Dallas visits Philadelphia
The Mavericks are losers in seven of their last ten games and find themselves just 2.5 games away from being out of the Play-In. They have been overwhelmingly injured for months but are slowly seeing players return. Kyrie Irving is expected to make his return Monday so we could see a Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving backcourt for the first time in two weeks.
On the other side, the 76ers just lost their reigning MVP, Joel Embiid, for an extended period with a torn meniscus. Philadelphia is a much different team without him and has only won four of the 14 games he has missed this year. Can Dallas take advantage of the shorthanded 76ers and earn a much-needed road victory? Here are three things to watch for as that question gets answered.
The return of Kyrie Irving
Irving has averaged 25 points, five assists, and five rebounds this season. The Mavericks have been missing additional creation on offense and Irving has plenty of that. It has been the Luka Doncic show in the two weeks he has been out and Dallas has desperately needed healthy ball handlers. His presence puts a lot of pressure on the defense, and with Dallas’ defense as bad as it has been, they need as much offense as they can get.
Luka Doncic’s first win in Philadelphia
Doncic is winless in four tries at Wells Fargo Center. Not only has he never won there, but he’s never scored more than 24 points or shot over 46.2 percent. A win would do wonders for the Mavericks, but even a good game would help correct Doncic’s woes in the city of brotherly love.
A big night for the hometown kid
Tyrese Maxey is a Dallas (adjacent) native. His last two games against the Mavericks have seen him score 22 or more points and that total should be far below what he scores Monday night. Between Embiid being sidelined and Dallas passing up on drafting him, there should be plenty of incentive for him to show out. He averages more than 27 points per game without Embiid this year, including 51 on February 1st. The kid is talented and will be eager to show Dallas what they could have had.
How to watch
Dallas and Philadelphia will tip off at 6:00 CST and will be broadcast on Bally Sports Southwest.
Morton started 15 games in 1972 for an injured Staubach, who eventually returned in the playoffs. The Cowboys decided to trade Morton in 1974 to the Giants, who sent back a first-round pick, which turned out to be the No. 2 overall pick in 1975. The Cowboys used that selection to take Randy White, a 10-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer.
Ironically enough, White’s best game was likely Super Bowl XII, when he was named Co-MVP with Harvey Martin. The Cowboys’ Doomsday defense dominated the Broncos, who were quarterbacked by Morton.
Overall, Morton played for the Cowboys, Giants and Broncos before officially retiring at the end of the 1982 season.
His career ended with 27,908 passing yards, ranking him 71st in NFL history, just ahead of Hall of Famer Joe Namath (27,663).
With the official NFL schedule coming this week, the Dallas Cowboys have revealed when, where and against who their Week 1 contest will be.
The Cowboys announced that they will square off against the New York Giants on the road in Week 1, with the game set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7:20 p.m. CT. So, it’s prime time for the Cowboys to start the season.
This is the second game we know about for the Cowboys this year. Of course, we know they will be playing on Thanksgiving, also.
The official schedule will drop on May 14, the NFL announced last week. Schedules for all 32 teams will be revealed on ESPN and the NFL Network, but each team will unveil its own schedule on social media, also.
The Cowboys were always likely to play a road game in Week 1 because of an Usher and Chris Brown concert taking place at AT&T Stadium that week.
Dallas will also be impacted by an Ed Sheeran concert in Week 7, so that’s another potential road game. They could also play on Monday or Thursday that week, or have a bye.
Cowboys’ strength of schedule
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys are not going to have an easy road to make the postseason.
The Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL going into the 2026 season, with only the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers having tougher slates.
Dallas’ schedule is also the third-toughest in the NFC, and the most difficult in the NFC East.
Sharp does his strength of schedule rankings based on win totals from Vegas oddsmakers rather than utilizing the previous season’s records because that metric doesn’t factor in offseason changes.
The Cowboys will play home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
On the road, Dallas will square off against the Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
Of those opponents, seven of them made the postseason in 2025, a list that includes the Jaguars, 49ers, Eagles, Texans, Rams, Seahawks and Packers.
All of those teams should be as good in 2026, and teams like the Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bucs, Giants and Commanders have a very real chance to be improved as well.
It won’t be an easy road for Dallas to get back to the playoffs in 2026, but there’s at least hope following a defensive overhaul.
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