(Photo credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images)

After ending 2025 on a sour note, the Dallas Mavericks hope that flipping the calendar leads to a surge of new success.The Mavericks begin the new year with a matchup against Tyrese Maxey and the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.Not much has gone right this season for Dallas, but the end of December was a particularly disappointing stretch. The Mavericks concluded 2025 by losing three straight games and five of their last six contests, including a 121-114 defeat in Philadelphia on Dec. 20.Most recently, Dallas went winless on a three-game road trip to Golden State, Sacramento and Portland. In Monday's 125-122 loss to the Trail Blazers, Max Christie led the way with 25 points and Brandon Williams scored 22 points.Still, the shorthanded Mavericks suffered their seventh straight road defeat.'I think it's a lesson for all of us,' coach Jason Kidd said after playing without Anthony Davis (groin), among others. 'Close games, we've got to go through it and be able to execute late-game. On the defensive end, we just fouled too much. They went to the line. On the offensive end, we got great looks that just did not go down for us.'

While Irving remains sidelined, the good news for Dallas is that Davis has been removed from the injury report and is set to return against the 76ers after missing two games.Portland made 16 of 41 (39%) 3-pointers two days after the Kings were 17-of-38 (44.7%) from 3-point range against the Mavericks.'It seems like right now, everybody's making threes on us,' Kidd said.In the prior matchup, the Sixers outscored the Mavericks 30-17 in the final stanza with Maxey recording seven of his 38 points during a key fourth-quarter stretch. Maxey is a Dallas native, while VJ Edgecombe - who supplied 26 points that night - played collegiately at nearby Baylor.'We had a bunch of quick easy buckets and a couple stops in a row. That flipped the game,' Sixers coach Nick Nurse said that night in reference to his team's early fourth-quarter push.Speaking of big moments down the stretch, Philadelphia's guards delivered again Tuesday as Maxey and Edgecombe propelled the team to a 139-136 road win against the Memphis Grizzlies.Maxey delivered 34 points and 12 assists, while Edgecombe capped a 25-point performance with the decisive 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining in overtime.'It's a big shot,' Nurse said. 'Obviously, a game-winner for a rookie is pretty cool.'Edgecombe, the third overall pick in the 2025 draft, is averaging 15.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists. The loaded 2025 draft class is highlighted by Mavericks standout Cooper Flagg. The top overall pick in the draft, Flagg is averaging 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals.The two rookies exchanged jerseys after last month's matchup in Philadelphia. Flagg scored 24 points in a losing effort that night, but he continued to earn Edgecombe's respect.'It was great,' Edgecombe said of the battle with Flagg. 'We've been going against each other since high school. College even, we ran into each other. Now in the league. I'm happy for him. He finally found a rhythm. Obviously, he had a shaky start, kind of, but to see him play through it and continue to grow, that's amazing, man. Credit to Coop.'Philadelphia has won each of the last four meetings between the teams. Each of those wins has come by seven points or fewer.--Field Level Media