Preview: Mavericks (19-11) at 76ers (20-10)

Earl K. Sneed reports from Philadelphia and previews the Dallas Mavericks' Friday night matchup against the 76ers as the defending champions try to extend their five-game winning streak.

PHILADELPHIA — Just like the Philadelphia 76ers, the Dallas Mavericks have appeared to be one of the NBA’s deepest teams this season with even contributions coming from their entire roster. Wednesday night, however, that depth took a major hit as the defending champion Mavericks were forced to play without three of their main contributors in the backcourt.

Already without third-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois due to personal reasons when they squared off with the Denver Nuggets for the third time, the Mavericks (19-11) would also be down star reserve Jason Terry for the first time in 126 straight games thanks to a mild right quad strain. Still, even after losing newcomer Delonte West in the first half with a fractured right ring finger, the Mavs would find a way to sprint to their fifth straight win with a 102-84 victory after six players scored in double figures.

“It’s an important win,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. “We obviously have some upheaval now with the roster — guys with injuries and personal situations. It’s a bit of a scramble, but we’ve got a good scramble team. We’re gonna just have to piece it together here.”

Now, the Mavericks will again look to what’s left of their depth with three holes in their guard rotation, facing a balanced Philadelphia team with the Eastern Conference’s third-best record Friday night.

Although the Sixers (20-10) have dropped three out of their last five games, they still feature a lineup that has seen six players average in double figures this season led by sixth man Lou Williams (16.1 ppg) off the bench. Expected to be without starting center Spencer Hawes (Achilles) until after the All-Star break, however, the Philly team has used a stingy defense to track to the top of the Atlantic Division while only allowing 87.3 points per game. Their average of 10.5 turnovers an outing is also on pace to be the fewest a team has committed since giveaways began being recorded in 1977-78.

“Philadelphia is going to be a different kind of team than [the Nuggets] are — same kind of quickness, but a little bit different style. Their home floor is a very tough place to play. We’re going to have to carry some momentum from [Wednesday night] into Friday, but that’s going to be a tough game,” Carlisle added.

But the Mavericks hope to counter with their own balanced play after four-time All-Star Shawn Marion’s all-around performance led his team to another notch in its five-game winning streak. While guarding the Nuggets’ Ty Lawson for most of the game and holding the cat-quick point guard to just three points on the night, Marion filled up the stat sheet with 16 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high six assists.

“We’ve got a deep team here and now everybody’s got to step up and pull their weight,” Marion explained.

“We’re just playing the game and playing it the right way,” he added after six players scored at least 10 points. “When it’s like that it’s exciting to watch and it’s fun to be a part of.”

The versatile forward will try to produce a similar performance as the Mavs begin a two-game road trip before two games at home to finish up play before the All-Star break. And with Terry, West and Beaubois all out of the lineup, the Mavericks understand that they will have to play as a collective unit once again if they’re going to extend their winning streak to six and add an L to Philadelphia’s 13-5 record at home.

“A lot of challenges and we’ve just got to play,” leading scorer Dirk Nowitzki said. “I like where the team is. Unfortunately, we’ve got some injuries and some personal issues, but hopefully we’ll be OK and fight through some of this stuff.”

Note: Riding a five-game winning streak, the Mavs return to action Friday night when they travel to meet the Philadelphia 76ers to start a two-game road trip. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest and nationally on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT.

The Mavs return to the American Airlines Center next Monday night when they host the Boston Celtics. Dallas leads the season series 1-0 after a 90-85 win in Boston on Jan. 11. That game will air nationally on TNT at 7 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

Single-game tickets are on sale and available at the American Airlines Center North Box Office, online at mavs.com, via phone by calling 214-747-MAVS or 1-800-4NBA-TIX and all Ticketmaster outlets (Fiesta Grocery Stores, Wal-Mart, Simon Mall in Garland and the Shops at Willow Bend in Plano).

Dr. Pepper Family Nights are here! Plans include four Mavs tickets and four McDonald’s extra value meals, starting at $49. Visit mavs.com or call 214-747-MAVS for a schedule of games and to purchase tickets.