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DALLAS — After staging one of the great comebacks in recent memory, the Dallas Mavericks returned to the hardwood Thursday night with a golden opportunity to collect a second consecutive win.

Mavs vs. 76ers Nov. 13, 2014

View photos of the Mavs’ record-setting 123-70 win over the 76ers.

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Rallying from 24 points down Tuesday against Sacramento, the Mavericks then looked to build on their 106-98 victory to move to 1-1 on their current four-game homestand. The Mavs also tried to avoid being the first team to fall to the winless Philadelphia 76ers, returning to American Airlines Center with another chance to play a full four quarters in front of their hometown fans.

However, the Mavs would only need to play three quarters of dominant basketball on this night. And while surpassing a 50-point win, 128-78, in New York back on Jan. 24, 2010 en route to their largest margin of victory in team history, the Mavericks (6-3) would be able to rest their top contributors down the stretch of a 123-70 win Thursday night.

“The sum total of the whole thing was our guys played hard, they played together, they concentrated, they didn’t have any slippage tonight and we got the job done,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle concluded after the wire-to-wire win. “The score is very lopsided, but you’ve got to get the win and move on to the next one.”

After getting off to a slow start Tuesday night, the Mavericks would sprint out of the gates while opening the game on a 9-2 run. Fresh off of moving into ninth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, 12-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki also went back to work, draining a three-pointer to put the Mavs up 12-4 with 8:05 left in the opening quarter. The advantage then quickly surged to double digits before reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams made his season debut for the Sixers (0-8) while returning from offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

Still, even after an explosion to the rim for a slam by Carter-Williams after entering the game off the bench, the Mavericks would continue to control the scoreboard with a 27-9 lead following back-to-back layups by reserve guard Devin Harris and new addition Chandler Parsons. Stellar ball movement would then lead to a corner three-pointer by backup forward Al-Farouq Aminu, boosting the Mavs to a 38-10 advantage at the end of 12 minutes of play.

“We wanted to just play hard, and we knew that they were going to come in here and compete,” Parsons said while explaining the fast start. “They weren’t going to just lay down. They play like they’re on fire and they lead the NBA in steals, so we just wanted to be solid. And once we got a lead like that, we just wanted to maintain it and keep growing it and not have any letups. So, it was a positive thing that we were able to do that.”

Connecting on 10-of-18 in the first period and holding the Sixers to just 4-of-18 shooting in the quarter, the Mavericks looked to widen their lead in the second stanza. Harris would make sure that the Sixers wouldn’t gain any momentum, draining a corner trey to put the Mavs up 45-10 with 10:20 remaining in the first half.

Mavs center Tyson Chandler then began to impact the game at both ends of the floor, snagging down a defensive rebound and running the floor to finish with a two-handed slam to put the home team up 54-14. A two-handed slam by Chandler would follow a short time later, completing a three-point play off an assist by starting shooting guard Monta Ellis.

The Mavericks then took their largest margin of the half into the intermission while leading 73-29, surpassing any scoring output in a first half of last season in the process.

After shooting 58.5 percent in the first half led by Nowitzki’s 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting, the Mavericks continued to keep their foot on the gas coming out of the locker room. Meanwhile, the Dallas defense tried to build on its stifling play through two quarters after forcing 14 Philadelphia turnovers and holding the Sixers to 25.7 percent shooting.

Setting new team records for first-quarter margin of lead and halftime margin of lead, the Mavericks then looked to widen their cushion in the third period. Nowitzki quickly continued his assault on the Philadelphia defense, scoring with ease as the Mavs continued to dominate on their home floor.

Carlisle then began to pull his top contributors midway through the third, looking ahead to Saturday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. And with backup big man Brandan Wright assuming the scoring responsibilities off the bench, the Mavs took a 95-53 lead into the final period.

“We really never let up there for the entire night,” Nowitzki proclaimed. “We actually were a little worried at halftime. It’s kind of silly, but we had a roll against Boston and we were up over 30. And then, you know, we had to grind it out, so we actually mentioned at halftime that we wanted to keep the defensive pressure up, keep them out of the lane and keep attacking offensively. And I thought we kept coming all night long, so that was definitely a good win for us.”

Starting the fourth quarter with all reserves, Carlisle would rest his starters the remainder of the way with the final verdict no longer in doubt. Seldom-used big man Charlie Villanueva then made the most of his playing time, catching fire from three-point range as the lead surged to as many as 58 before the final buzzer.

Scoring 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting, Nowitzki led five Mavericks in double figures. Ellis pitched in 17 points in the first unit, finishing off a 7-of-12 shooting performance with four rebounds and four assists. Parsons added 14 points and six rebounds as well in the starting lineup while Wright came off the bench to score 14 points, adding five rebounds of his own. Villanueva scored 10 points all in the fourth quarter as well, ending the game 4-of-6 from the field while the Mavs dished out 33 assists as a team.

Meanwhile, Chandler came just one point shy of extending his double-double streak to four straight games by finishing with nine points and 10 boards.

Carter-Williams led the Sixers with 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting, adding eight rebounds and five assists. But the Mavericks outshot the Sixers on the night, 51.3 percent to 29.9 percent, adding a 51-46 rebounding edge and converting Philadelphia’s 28 turnovers into 39 points at the other end.

“It was an all-around good effort, and it’s over now. We’ve got to focus on Minnesota tomorrow and finish the homestand off right,” Nowitzki concluded.

“This is an important homestand and we blew the first game,” Carlisle added. “You know, we got lucky in the second one. We played well tonight against a team that’s depleted, and now we’ve got to work on finishing it off on Saturday against Minnesota.”

Note: Playing the final outing of their four-game homestand at American Airlines Center, the Mavericks will next host the Minnesota Timberwolves. The game will air locally Thursday on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS (6287) or by visiting Mavs.com.

Injury updates presented by Baylor Emergency Medical Centers:
-Raymond Felton, high right ankle sprain, doubtful to be activated

DALLAS — Despite welcoming in a winless Philadelphia 76ers team Thursday night, the Dallas Mavericks know they can’t afford to overlook their opponent while looking to move to 2-1 on their current four-game homestand.

Hoping to send the 76ers (0-7) to an eighth straight loss to begin the season and ninth consecutive defeat in Dallas, the Mavericks (5-3) will try to build on their come-from-behind 106-98 win Tuesday over Sacramento. However, with reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams expected to make his season debut after offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder and big man Nerlens Noel set to return from a two-game absence with a sprained left ankle, the Mavs fully anticipate a dogfight Thursday night at American Airlines Center.

“You’ve got to play 48 minutes,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said following his team’s Thursday morning shootaround. “These guys play hard and they’re very persistent. They keep playing regardless, and they’re going to win games this year. We just want to make sure that we don’t get caught not ready. You’ve got to respect teams like this that really do play hard, and they’re going to get two of their better players back tonight. They’re getting Noel back and they’re getting Carter-Williams back from what we understand, so there’s no guarantees. You’ve got to show up and you’ve got to play them. These guys gave us two hard games last year, so that’s what we expect tonight.”

Last season, Carter-Williams quickly made a lasting first impression in his rookie campaign while filling up the stat sheet, averaging 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists in his 70 appearances. For that reason, the Dallas defense will be keyed in on containing the young guard when he enters the game, looking to stifle the Sixers’ offensive attack.

The bulk of that responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Mavs point guard and a native of Chester, Pa., Jameer Nelson, who welcomes the challenge. And with the Mavericks hoping to build on the second half against Sacramento, in which they outscored the Kings 58-41 en route to the win, the home team will try to continue clicking on all cylinders for a full four quarters.

“Whatever it takes,” Nelson confidently proclaimed. “I mean, just look at the other night. It was a situation where we needed a lot of energy and to pick up our intensity. I mean, nobody was worried about who had the ball or anything like that. It was more on the defensive end and more of winning the game within a game. They were getting all the loose balls and they were drawing all the charges and being aggressive. We kind of changed that around and started being aggressive ourselves.

“It’s a game. We’ve got to get better here as a team, and that’s the most important thing. I can’t worry about who I’m playing against and what they’re doing,” he added as he squares off against his hometown team. “We have to accomplish what we need to accomplish, and that’s continue to go out there, play the right way and put together 48 minutes.”

Note: Playing the third outing of their four-game homestand at American Airlines Center, the Mavericks will next host the Philadelphia 76ers. The game will air locally Thursday on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS (6287) or by visiting Mavs.com.

Injury updates presented by Baylor Emergency Medical Centers:
-Raymond Felton, high right ankle sprain, doubtful to be activated

DALLAS — After needing the third-largest comeback in team history to rally for a 106-98 win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, the Dallas Mavericks will try to make quicker work of the winless Philadelphia 76ers as they play the third outing of a four-game homestand.

Finding themselves down by as many as 24 Tuesday night against the Kings, the Mavericks (5-3) would collectively pick up their pressure while staging a rally for the ages. Thursday night, however, the Mavs will try to sustain that level of play for a full 48 minutes, looking to jump out to an early advantage against the 0-7 Sixers.

“We did a great job in the second half,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle concluded after his team outscored the Kings 58-41 in the second half of Tuesday’s win. “I thought our second quarter was a lot better than the first. In the second half, the difference in the game was our point guards putting pressure on the ball and making it harder for them to get into their stuff. Those guys exerted a lot of energy. Twice we had guys ask to come out because they were tired, which is what you want, because that means you are playing to full exhaustion. Those guys were the difference makers in the second half.”

Led by 12-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki’s 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting, the Mavericks responded to a lackluster first half and Sunday’s 105-96 defeat against Miami to begin their homestand. Meanwhile, Nowitzki continued his climb up the NBA’s all-time scoring list, moving into ninth place while passing Houston Rockets great Hakeem Olajuwon (26,946) to become the league’s top all-time foreign-born scorer in the process.

Now, Nowitzki will try to get the Mavs off to a better start, looking to hand the 76ers an eighth straight loss to begin the season and ninth straight defeat in Dallas.

“I mean, they’re not going to go 0-82, so eventually they’re going to catch somebody,” Nowitzki said while not overlooking the visiting 76ers. “They’re really athletic, they’re young, they’re kind of scrambling the game up, and you’ve got to be ready. I mean, we’ve just got to be ready to play.”

He added: “We can’t obviously fall in 20-point holes all the time, so we’ve got to be ready from the jump and set the tone, so we can get the crowd involved. And finish off this homestand hopefully on a good note Thursday and Saturday before we hit the road again for some tough road games.”

Note: Playing the third outing of their four-game homestand at American Airlines Center, the Mavericks will next host the Philadelphia 76ers. The game will air locally Thursday on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS (6287) or by visiting Mavs.com.

Injury updates presented by Baylor Emergency Medical Centers:
-Raymond Felton, high right ankle sprain, doubtful to be activated