DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks had no need for another big comeback when playing the NBA’s only winless team.
This time, the Mavs built a big early lead that kept growing until they had their largest victory ever, 123-70 over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.
“The sum total of the whole thing was our guys played hard,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “They played together, they concentrated, they didn’t have any slippage.”
The 53-point margin for Dallas surpassed its 50-point win over the New York Knicks in January 2010.
At 0-8, Philadelphia is the only NBA team without a victory. The only time the 76ers have gone deeper into a season before winning a game was 1972-73, when they lost their first 15 games, according to STATS.
“You get another game tomorrow. The bad news is it doesn’t go away,” said coach Brett Brown, whose team is the youngest in the league, averaging just under 24 years old. “It’s like water dripping on your forehead, and there’s no place to hide.”
Two nights after coming from 24 down to beat Sacramento, all 13 Dallas players scored and all but one had a rebound. Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points in only 20 minutes to lead five players scoring in double figures.
The 76ers, who scored the last five points to avoid their largest loss ever, matched Utah’s 0-8 start from a year ago. The NBA’s longest losing streak to start a season belongs to the New Jersey Nets, who opened 0-18 in 2009-10.
About the only highlight for the 76ers after winning the opening tip was the return of last year’s NBA Rookie of the Year. Michael Carter-Williams played for the first time since surgery in May to repair the labrum in his right shoulder, leading Philly with 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting off the bench, and also having eight rebounds and five assists.
“I’m sure we’ll remember this, and don’t want it to happen again,” Carter-Williams said. “None of us in this locker room will ever get used to losing like that. None of us will ever get used to losing, period. We’re upset after every loss.”
Dallas jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first 2 minutes and led 38-10 by the end of the first quarter — the largest margin ever by the Mavericks through one quarter.
Nowitzki then hit two more jumpers as the Mavericks scored the first seven points in the second quarter. Their 73-29 lead for a 44-point bulge gave them their biggest halftime lead ever.
The only miss for Nowitzki came on a 3-pointer with 7:15 left in the third quarter when the Mavs led 82-37. A minute later, Nowitzki was out of the game for good.
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TIP-INS
76ers: Rookie K.J. McDaniels made his first career start, in place of Nerlens Noel, another rookie who did play after missing the last two games because of a left ankle sprain.
Mavericks: Monta Ellis added 17 points for the Mavs, while Chandler Parsons and Brandan Wright each had 14. Tyson Chandler had nine points and 10 rebounds. … Dallas had a lead of at least 30 points in the first half for the third time in its five home games this season.
WAITING ON RAYMOND
Before guard Raymond Felton can make his Mavericks debut, he has to serve a four-game suspension stemming from his guilty plea this summer in a New York gun case.
Felton sprained his right ankle during training camp. He has to be healthy enough to play before the suspension can start, and some expected that to be last week.
“It’s just a little bit slow. There has not been a setback,” Carlisle said. “We’re not going to mess with it. The rules state that he’s got to be healthy to begin it. And we’re not going to mess with league rules.”
TIED, BUT FAR FROM EVEN LATELY
The series between the Mavericks is now tied 33-33, with each team 17-16 on its home court. But Dallas has dominated of late, winning four in a row and 14 of 17. Philadelphia hasn’t won a road game in the series since January 2005. Dallas could have gone scoreless in the second half Thursday, and still would have won by 3 points.
UP NEXT
76ers: Visit Houston on Friday.
Mavericks: Host Minnesota on Saturday.