Sixers-Mavericks best & worst: Another rough night against the zone, a long night on defense

Here’s my look at the best and worst performances from the 76ers’ 117-98 loss to the Dallas Mavericks Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Best performance: Tim Hardaway Jr. set the tone with 19 first quarter points, hitting all five of his three-point attempts. He went on to score eight fourth quarter points, including a huge three after Trey Burke cut the deficit to 94-87 with 7 minutes and 11 seconds left. For the game, Hardaway shot 7 for 11 from three-point range.

Worst performance: Tobias Harris scored just seven points, shooting 3 for 11 from the field in 32 minutes and 22 seconds. He seemed to struggle with finding shots against the zone. Harris also had a minus-28 rating when he was on the court.

Best defensive performance: Dallas’ 7-foot-3 forward Kristaps Porzingis had three blocked shots, but he altered so many more. Porzingis showed great ability to come from the weakside and either block or alter shots.

Worst statistic: In the fourth quarter, when the Sixers were trying to make a comeback, they allowed Dallas to shoot 10 for 16 from the field (62.5 percent), including 2 of 4 from three-point range.

Best statistic: Joel Embiid had a game-high 33 points (shooting 12 for 24, including 3 of 7 from beyond the arc, while hitting all six free throws).

Worst of the worst: That would be the Sixers’ defense. While they struggled against the zone, the Sixers allowed Dallas to shoot 51.8 percent from the field (43 for 83) and 42.4 percent (14 for 33) from three-point range. After the game, Sixers coach Brett Brown suggested that the struggles the team is having on offense have now carried over to the defensive end.

Best of the best: Give the Mavericks credit for their season-long success on the road. They are now 11-2 away from home.