'THAT WAS a strange game, to say the least."
That is how 76ers coach Doug Collins characterized his team's 100-98 win over the visiting Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night, and he wasn't kidding.
After the game, point guard Jrue Holiday said of teammate Kwame Brown: "Kwame's a lot quicker than people give him credit for."
If that doesn't summarize the strangeness of the game, nothing will.
Brown was instrumental in the win, mostly at the defensive end where he keyed a 3-minute spurt in the fourth quarter in which the Sixers had five steals that turned a tie game into a 10-point lead. A couple of minutes later, when the Mavs had climbed to within five, it was a tip by Brown off a missed Jrue Holiday layup that upped the lead and allowed the Sixers to corral their ninth win in the season's 15th game.
The win was strange in that the Sixers turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 28 Dallas points. It was strange because the Sixers got to the foul line 32 times, a number they rarely see. It was strange in that ageless Vince Carter (soon to be 36) scored 15 points for the Mavericks and almost gutted out the win by himself.
But Collins certainly will take strange if it means a win, and 22 points from Evan Turner and 20 and seven rebounds from Thaddeus Young will help bring the game to more of an even keel. The Sixers also got a boost from rookie Maalik Wayns, who came off the bench for 10 points, and the six points and eight rebounds from Brown, both season highs.
"We got off to a great, great start," said Collins, whose team made its first seven shots. "Sometimes when offense comes easily, you don't dig in on defense, and they scored 31 in the first quarter and 56 at half. But we did a much better job defensively in the second half, and we had guys do a great job - Evan, Thad, Maalik off the bench was terrific, and Kwame did a great job defensively when we put him in."
It was needed. While the Sixers seemed to be able to get where they wanted much of the night offensively, they continually were careless with the ball and allowed Dallas (7-8) to stay within striking distance when it appeared the game might start to sway the other way.
Elton Brand, returning to Philadelphia after four seasons with the Sixers, bulled his way to 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench, and center Chris Kaman scored a team-high 20 points for Dallas, 13 in the first half.
So Collins decided to give Brown the defensive duty, and he responded. He did a good job of getting out and shutting down the guards on pick-and-rolls and limited the Mavericks' inside presence simply because of his bulk and nose for the ball.
"Kwame can move with the ball and give containment," said Holiday, who provided 18 points and seven assists, but turned the ball over six times. "He brings a big presence in there, where if I was going down there, I wouldn't want to run into him."
In addition to his offense, Turner did a more than adequate job defensively, helping to hold O.J. Mayo, one of the league's top three-point shooters, to only one trey. And shooting guard Jason Richardson, despite scoring only eight points, pulled down eight rebounds.
Wayns, who seems to be gaining more confidence in his coach, provided a spark.
"He [Collins] tells me to be aggressive and be in attack mode," Wayns said. "When I get out there, [opponents] aren't really worrying about me, so they want me to be passive and just pass the ball. So I've got to be aggressive and look for my shots and get other guys their shots, too.
"Every game, every day, I'm just trying to get better. I'm getting more comfortable. I'm trying to learn my opponents."
And Collins continues to try to learn his team. Sometimes, like Tuesday, the lesson is a little strange. Like Brown being called quick.
"Kwame was very active on the pick-and-rolls," Collins said. "He blew up the pick-and-rolls. We had high hands, we got guys in, we had some deflections, and we were able to get out and go, so that was a big part. I don't know if I've ever coached our team where we've ever had [given up] 28 points off turnovers and we won the game."
Strange.
On Twitter: @BobCooney76
Blog: philly.com/Sixerville
