76ers vs Mavericks Betting Tips & Prediction | NBA Preview

In previous years, the Philadelphia 76ers were at the mercy of Joel Embiid’s injury status. It was as if the Sixers were two different teams. 

When Embiid was in the lineup, Philadelphia could beat anyone it faced.  But when Embiid was out, the Sixers would revert to their 1972-73 mode as a hopelessly horrible club.

This year, the 76ers are learning to win without Embiid. It was a necessary adaptation to reality.  

The 76ers are 10-7 without Embiid in the lineup, compared to 6-7 with him on the court.

Tyrese Maxey has been the difference maker for the 76ers with 30.8 points per game.

On Thursday, the Sixers will face the dreadfully down Dallas Mavericks on the road. 

Since shipping Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavs have been one of the worst teams in the Association.  

76ers at Mavericks Preview

On Thursday, January 1, 2026, the Dallas Mavericks will host the Philadelphia 76ers at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. Tipoff time is 8:30 p.m. ET with television coverage on NBA TV.

Public Betting Odds Factors

• The 76ers will offer potentially strong NBA spread value as a quality road team going up against a weak home team.
• Dallas has no appeal to the casual sector, which does serve to enhance their prices to some degree. But Dallas has not been able to convert that into cash.

76ers at Mavericks Predictions

Handicapping Factors to Consider 

• Dallas is a weak offensive team that struggles to stay in games, and its defense is no asset either.
• Philadelphia has shown good betting value and will get a fair price on the road. 
• Philadelphia will have the best player on the court with Tyrese Maxey.

76ers at Mavericks Prime Best Bet: Philadelphia 76ers 

76ers at Mavericks Betting Tips

Philadelphia 76ers 

• Philadelphia has NBA metrics of 17th for scoring offense, 29th for field goal percentage, 15th for 3-point field goal percentage, 5th for free throw percentage, and 12th for offensive rebounding. 
• On defense, the 76ers have NBA metrics of 14th for scoring defense, 10th for field goal percentage permitted, 6th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 20th for defensive rebounding.  
• The 76ers are 16-14 straight up, 17-12-1 against the spread, and 15-15 over/under the total.  Late on, Philadelphia covered one out of their last four games.  
• The 76ers have gone over the total in three of their previous four matchups. 
• Philadelphia is 7th in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.  Philadelphia is seven games behind the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference playoff race.  

Dallas Mavericks 

• Dallas has NBA metrics of 24th for scoring offense, 16th for field goal percentage, 28th for 3-point field goal percentage, 27th for free throw percentage, and 15th for offensive rebounding. 
• On defense, the Mavericks have NBA metrics of 21st for scoring defense, 6th for field goal percentage permitted, 1st for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 27th for defensive rebounding.  
• The Mavericks are 12-22 straight up, 16-18 against the spread, and 16-18 over/under the total.  Late on, Dallas has covered two out of their last six games.  
• The Mavericks have gone over the total in three of their previous four matchups. 
• Dallas is 12th in the Western Conference playoff standings.  Dallas is 16.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference playoff race.  

76ers at Mavericks Head-to-Head and Key Stats

• The 76ers covered the NBA spread in seven of their last 11 games against Dallas.
• The 76ers and Mavs went under the total in eight of their last 12 meetings.
• Philadelphia covered the spread in its last two visits to Dallas.
• The Sixers and Mavericks went over the total in two of their last three games at Dallas.
• Philadelphia covered the spread in 11 of its last 14 away games.
• The 76ers went under the total in four of their last five road tilts.
• Dallas covered five of its last seven home games.
• The Mavericks went over the total in three of their last four home tilts.