Joel Embiid on Sixers after disappointing loss to Mavericks: 'We were playing scared'

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers still have championship aspirations, but questions arise after a 117-98 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in which they were once again undone by a zone defense.

The Sixers' biggest concern heading into the season was a lack of shooting, and their last two losses have come after the shooting was not able to bust a zone. On Friday, the Mavericks applied a zone defense from the beginning, and it bothered the Sixers all night as they shot 10-for-34 from deep as a team.

Joel Embiid, who led Philadelphia with 33 points and 17 rebounds, said the Sixers over-complicated things on the offensive end.

"I feel like, especially tonight, we were playing scared," said Embiid. "Basketball is easy. Just shoot it, pass it, move it. If you don't got a shot, just pass it, but tonight we didn't make shots and defensively we were pretty bad."

Philadelphia allowed Dallas to shoot 51.8% from the floor, and the Mavericks made 14 3-pointers on the night. It was clear the effort was not there for the Sixers. On top of that, it seemed as if the Sixers were timid on the offensive end as they did not take advantage of any open looks.

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"I felt like tonight we had a few open looks, you just got to shoot it," Embiid said. "Then again, it's also a balance. That's what I've been dealing with. You've got a lot of people telling you to be aggressive and all that, and obviously you don't want to be selfish, but at the end of the day, if you've got to make something happen, you've got to. Especially if you feel like you've got a look."

The Sixers get right back at it on Saturday when they host the Washington Wizards looking to end a three-game slide.

"It starts on defense. Last two games, we have not been good," Embiid said. "It starts on defense and then offensively, just play the right way."

Sixers Wire is part of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow Ky Carlin on Twitter @Ky_Carlin.