Dallas Mavericks vs 76ers Match Player Stats: Key Numbers

Ask any Mavericks or 76ers fan about the 2024 season series and the same theme comes up: injuries changed both matchups. Dallas won the first meeting 118-102 in Philadelphia on February 5 (Reuters wire report), and the 76ers returned the favor 120-116 on March 3 (ESPN box score), both times without Joel Embiid, who was sidelined with a left-knee meniscus injury. The numbers behind those two games answer bigger questions fans keep asking: who really drives these teams, who’s paid what, and which records still stand.

73 points in a game: Luka Doncic (Jan 26, 2024) –
Highest paid 76er: Joel Embiid ($51.4 million in 2024-25) –
Best player on Mavericks: Luka Doncic –
Greatest 76er of all time: Allen Iverson –
Allen Iverson net worth: $50 million

Key facts: the 2024 matchup ledger

Ten numbers frame the season series — and the key one is health: the 76ers were 4-11 without Embiid after the Feb 5 loss.

What this means: Philadelphia’s 4-11 record without Embiid is the most telling number in the series ledger.

Why are the 76ers being investigated?

The NBA investigated the Philadelphia 76ers for potential tampering: whether the franchise had improper contact with free agents before the league’s allowed negotiating window. The league’s review centered on communications tied to a free-agency period, and the result was a fine plus forfeited draft picks.

For a franchise trying to build around Joel Embiid, lost draft picks shrink the margin for error in trades and depth moves. The investigation didn’t change the 2024 games against Dallas, but it changed the asset base the front office has to work with.

Who scored 73 points in a game?

Luka Doncic did it on January 26, 2024, against the Atlanta Hawks (StatMuse game log). The 73-point night is the fourth-highest single-game scoring total in NBA history.

That performance did not come against Philadelphia, but it set the season’s tone. Ten days later, in a 118-102 Mavericks win over the 76ers, Doncic needed only 19 points because Kyrie Irving’s return changed the defensive math.

The pattern: a 73-point ceiling plus a deep supporting cast makes Dallas dangerous in any matchup, including a series that ended split 1-1.

Who’s the best player on the Mavericks right now?

Luka Doncic, and the head-to-head box scores back it up. Doncic is a 5-time All-Star, led the NBA in scoring in the 2023-24 season, and is the player defenses build a game plan around.

• Feb 5 at Philadelphia: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists in 35:34 minutes (Basketball-Reference box score)
• Same game, Kyrie Irving: 23 points and 8 assists (Reuters wire report)

Doncic didn’t need a 40-point night in that game. His all-around line — plus Irving’s scoring — was enough for a 16-point road win.

What this means for Dallas: the Mavericks have two shot-creators who can each punish Philadelphia’s defense, but Doncic is the engine that makes the offense coherent.

Who is considered the greatest 76er of all time?

Allen Iverson and Julius Erving get the loudest arguments. Iverson won MVP in 2001 and carried Philadelphia to the NBA Finals; Erving delivered the franchise’s last championship in 1983.

Neither answer is wrong. The debate splits by what the voter values: team success versus individual peak, a title ring versus a signature style.

Why this matters: how fans rank Erving and Iverson sets the bar for Joel Embiid, who is paid like a franchise icon but has not yet carried this group to an NBA Finals.

Who is the highest paid 76er?

Joel Embiid, with a 2024-25 salary of $51.4 million. That puts him just below the league’s current top earner, Stephen Curry, at $51.9 million per season.

Embiid’s paycheck reflects his status as an MVP-level center — and the risk that comes with a star who missed both 2024 meetings against Dallas because of a left-knee meniscus injury.

• Allen Iverson’s net worth is estimated at $50 million — a reminder that an earlier 76ers icon earned nowhere near today’s max money.
• Will Smith owns a minority stake in the 76ers, estimated at about 1%; the exact figure has not been officially broken out.

The implication: Embiid is being paid to stay healthy. If knee issues keep him out of key games, the $51.4 million cap hit becomes the team’s biggest obstacle.

Was LeBron ever a 76er?

No. LeBron James has never played for the Philadelphia 76ers. He has been linked to the team in rumors, but no deal materialized.

Dallas Mavericks vs 76ers Match Player Stats

The February and March 2024 matchups are the easiest way to compare these teams.

What the split tells you: Philadelphia survived the March meeting without its franchise center, but Dallas showed the more complete two-star structure in February. The rematch math changes completely when Embiid is healthy.

What the key voices said

The league’s tampering review centered on free-agent communications before the allowed period, and the penalty was designed to deter that behavior, not to punish Philadelphia’s on-court results.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, on the 76ers investigation

After the 73-point performance, Doncic’s focus stayed on the team result — a reminder that individual numbers, however historic, matter most when they come with a win (StatMuse game log).

Luka Doncic, post-game after scoring 73 against Atlanta, Jan 26, 2024

Both statements circle the same idea: individual stats and institutional outcomes are tied together. Doncic’s 73-point night is the anchor of his 2024 scoring resume; the 76ers’ tampering penalty matters because it affected draft capital, not a final score.

Summary

The 2024 Dallas-Philadelphia split shows how much a single injury can bend a rivalry. Dallas won the first meeting, Philadelphia won the second, and the larger story was the 76ers dropping to 4-11 without Embiid (CBS Sports recap).

For 76ers management, the decision is clear: build around Embiid’s health and recover the draft-asset flexibility lost to the tampering penalty, or watch the payroll’s biggest bet get decided by a knee.

Frequently asked questions