Albeit the Sixers were hoping to compete for home-court in this year’s NBA campaign, very little has been going Philly’s way so far. Hoping to snap a four game losing streak, the Philadelphia 76ers will travel to Dallas to face Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs at American Airlines Center on Tuesday at 1:30 a.m. GMT.

Unlike the Sixers, the Mavericks are very content with their performance in the first month of action. After all, the Mavs managed to stay right at the top of the competitive Western Conference despite missing All-Star Josh Howard. Moreover, Shawn Marion and Erick Dampier both missed some games, leaving Rick Carlisle with a shorthanded squad and a tough schedule to start the season. Nonetheless, Dallas was able to post an impressive 11-4 record and is just one game behind the leading Phoenix Suns. So far, the Mavs played excellent defense considering their up tempo basketball and held their opponents to just 96 points per game. Offensively, Dirk Nowitzki carried the franchise from Texas, putting up 26.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per contest. Likewise, Jason Terry and Tim Thomas gave the Mavs a huge lift off the bench as they averaged 18.1 and 11.3 points respectively.

In contrast, the Philadelphia 76ers came slow out of the gates and find themselves alarmingly close to the bottom of the Eastern Conference four weeks into the season. In fact, the Sixers dropped five of their last six games, including four straight last week. Given the fact that Philly was hoping to elevate their game to the next level when All-Star Elton Brand returned to the floor, it is understandable that the Sixers’ fan base is fairly frustrated. Most importantly, Eddie Jordan’s squad appears to be unable to integrate Brand into their up-tempo basketball. Struggling to find a balance between half-court and fastbreak, Elton Brand experienced a significant drop-off in his offensive productivity. Moreover, Philadelphia sorely misses veteran point guard Andre Miller who signed a contract with the Trailblazers during the off-season. Taking said circumstances into account, the Mavericks seem to be the undisputed favorite to clinch a win at American Airlines Center. Ultimately, the Sixers do neither have a starting five as talented as the Mavs nor a second unit able to compete with their opponents.

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