Dirk Nowitzki needed just eight shots to score 21 points and the Dallas Mavericks embarrassed the winless and helpless Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, 123-70, at American Airlines Center.
Monta Ellis netted 17 points, Chandler Parsons and Brandan Wright both added 14 and Tyson Chandler pulled down 10 rebounds in Dallas' ninth straight home win over Philadelphia. Dallas surpassed its biggest margin of victory in franchise history, which was 50.
The 76ers, who remained the lone winless team in the NBA, welcomed back reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams, but his return to the hardwood took a backseat to the beating Philadelphia was handed.
Carter-Williams missed the entire preseason and the team's first seven regular season games after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder in May. He came off the bench and scored a team-high 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting.
Brett Brown's team still has to endure matchups in San Antonio and Houston before reaching the "comforts" of home against the Celtics next Wednesday.
Nowitzki hit his first three shots -- two 17-footers and a 3-pointer from the top of the key -- during a 12-4 start for Dallas. Out of a timeout, Chandler and Jameer Nelson both made two free throws to push the spread to 16-4, but Carter-Williams, who checked in during Nelson's trip to the line, quieted the crowd with an explosive two-handed jam.
The Sixers managed just four more points over the final 6;34 of the first, however, and finished the stanza 4-for-18 from the floor and 0-for-6 from the arc. Dallas, meanwhile, shot 10-for-18 and made all 14 of its foul shots. The hosts led 38-10 through 12 minutes.
By the time Carter-Williams hit a pull-up jumper at 8:03 of the second, Philadelphia had gone more than eight minutes between field goals. At 6:40 of the second, it was 54-14.
The Mavericks got at least seven points in the first half from six different players. Nowitzki and Ellis had 15 and 14, respectively, matching Philadelphia's score by themselves. It was 73-29 at halftime.
Jae Crowder's three-point play with 45 seconds to play gave Dallas its largest lead at 58 points.
Notes: Mavericks guard J.J. Barea had 11 assists off the bench ... All 13 players on Dallas' active roster scored at least two points ... Dallas shot 51.3 percent from the floor. Philadelphia shot 29.9 percent ... 76ers forward Drew Gordon made his NBA debut and scored two points with five rebounds in just under 13 minutes ... Philadelphia turned the ball over 27 times.
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