Sixers-Mavs best/worst: Poor second-half effort; horrid three-point shooting

DALLAS – Here is my look at some of the best and worst performances from the 76ers’ 109-91 loss to the Dallas Mavericks Saturday night at the American Airlines Center.

Best performance: This has to go to Maxi Kleber. The Mavs power forward quietly had a great game. He finished with 10 points on 3-for-5 shooting – including making 3 of his 4 three-point attempts. Kleber also blocked a game-high 3 shots, had 8 rebounds and 1 steal. He graded out with a game-best plus-28 in 30 minutes, 43 seconds.

Worst performance: This was a tough one. But ultimately, I gave it to Matisse Thybulle. The Sixers rookie missed all four of his shots en route to finishing with two points. He had more personal fouls (4) than rebounds (3). He did have a block and a steal. But his offensive shortcoming was hard to overlook in his second game back after missing seven consecutive with a sprained right knee.

Best defensive performance: This goes to Kleber over Sixers point guard Ben Simmons, who received a lot of consideration. Simmons had four steals - all in the first quarter. However, he was limited by what he could do afterward due to being in foul trouble. However, Kleber finished with 3 blocks and 1 steal.

Worst statistic: This goes to the Sixers’ three-point shooting in the first half. They made 2 of 19 shots or 10.5%.

Best statistic: I had to give this to Sixers only committing 4 turnovers. That’s a major accomplishment for a squad that averages 14.9 per game.

Worst of the worst: I have to give this to the Sixers’ inability to match the Mavs’ intensity after intermission. As expected, Dallas was aggressive at the start of the second half in an attempt to get back into the game. The Sixers looked like a team with no sense of urgency and one that forgot how to play defense.