PHILADELPHIA — The 76ers won again with Elton Brand having another strong game and earning a hefty paycheck from the organization.
Brand just couldn’t celebrate because his effort was wasted with Dallas.
Evan Turner scored 22 points and Thaddeus Young had 20 to lead Philadelphia to a 100-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
Brand scored a season-high 17 points for the Mavericks in his first game against the Sixers since they used their one-time amnesty provision over the summer in the new labor deal to let him go. The move meant the $18.1 million Brand was owed in the final season of his $80 million, five-year contract did not count against the salary cap for Philadelphia, though it still owed him about $16 million.
The two-time All-Star forward didn’t stay unemployed for long, and the Mavericks won the bidding at $2.1 million to land him off waivers.
With Andrew Bynum out with a bone bruise, Brand was the most expensive player the Sixers were paying to play in this game. He saw some familiar play in the fourth quarter when the Sixers started running, forced some turnovers, and worked their way inside for easy buckets.
“I was a part of it last year. We used to do it time and time again," Brand said. “It was just hustle plays and being in the right spot at the right time."
Jrue Holiday had 18 points and seven assists for the Sixers, who snapped a six-game losing streak to Dallas. Philadelphia shot six of 14 on 3-pointers and won its second straight game.
Chris Kaman scored 20 points and Shawn Marion also had 17 for the Mavericks. Vince Carter added 15 and was clutch in the fourth quarter in trying to bring Dallas back from a 10-point hole.
The 76ers finally created some space in a back-and-forth game when they snapped a tie with a 10-0 run midway through the fourth.
The highlight came when Holiday stole the ball, took off running and dished to a driving Young down the lane for a three-point play and a 90-81 lead.
Carter, long a nuisance against Philadelphia, ended the Sixers’ streak with a 3-pointer for a Dallas team trying to stay afloat with Dirk Nowitzki (knee) out about another month, at least.
The Mavericks whittled it to five until Young hit a mid-range jumper for a seven-point lead and the Sixers forced a turnover on the next possession with 90 seconds left. But they failed to score and Carter delivered again, sinking his third 3 to make it a four-point game. Carter made a left-handed layup to bring the Mavericks to 100-98 with 37 seconds left.
O.J. Mayo was fouled on a wild drive with 2.7 seconds to go but missed the first free throw attempt. Mayo also missed the second, but the Mavs recovered. Jae Crowder’s last-gasp jumper was off the mark, leaving Dallas with a 2-5 record on the road.
The Mavericks had turnovers on five straight possessions during one miserable stretch in the fourth. They finished with eight overall in the quarter.
“They were untimely and completely out of character to how we played to that point," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “We have to eliminate those turnovers right now. In games like this, it’s how you manage mistakes."
In other games on Tuesday:
Pacers 79
Lakers 77
LOS ANGELES — George Hill’s high-arching shot over Dwight Howard went in with 0.1 seconds left, and Indiana withstood Kobe Bryant’s 40-point performance for Los Angeles. Hill scored 19 points and hit that enormous clutch shot for the Pacers, who won their third straight road game over the Lakers.
Rockets 117
Raptors 101
HOUSTON — James Harden scored 24 points and matched a career high with 12 assists to lead Houston over Toronto.
Timberwolves 97
Kings 89
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kevin Love had 23 points and an NBA season-high 24 rebounds to help Minnesota stop a five-game losing streak by beating Sacramento.
Suns 91
Cavaliers 78
CLEVELAND — Goran Dragic scored 19 points, Michael Beasley added 15 and Phoenix took control late in the third quarter to beat Cleveland. The Suns scored the final 14 points of the third to take a 71-59 lead they did not relinquish, sending Cleveland to its 10th loss in 11 games.