James Harden, Joel Embiid Rally Sixers Past Mavericks on Friday

After getting off to a tough start to the week with a loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Philadelphia 76ers bounced back on Wednesday with a tight win on the road

After getting off to a tough start to the week with a loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Philadelphia 76ers bounced back on Wednesday with a tight win on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

With Thursday off, the Sixers got a rest day before heading back home to face the Dallas Mavericks. Earlier this year, when the Sixers dueled with the Mavs, they hadn't made their blockbuster trade for James Harden just yet.

Harden's absence was significant for the Sixers, who struggled to overcome Luka Doncic and the Mavericks on the road in Dallas.

With Harden in the mix this time around, though, the superstar guard was a difference-maker for the Sixers on Friday night.

Picking Up Where They Left Off

As usual, Joel Embiid dominated against the Cavs on Wednesday despite going into the matchup questionable for back soreness. On Friday, the situation wasn't different.

Once again, Embiid was questionable and was considered a game-time decision by Sixers head coach Doc Rivers a couple of hours before tip-off. 

After getting cleared to play, Embiid led the charge from the gate. Against Dallas, it was a similar situation. In the first 11 minutes of action, Embiid shot 2-3 from the field and knocked down all but one of his four free throws, a team-leading seven points.

Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris, who combined for ten points in their first nine minutes of action, helped the Sixers get off to a slim 27-26 lead in the first quarter.

When Embiid entered the floor once again in the second quarter, he continued to dominate. Embiid drained five of his six shots from the field in his next seven minutes and was a perfect 3-3 from the charity stripe. He accounted for 14 of Philadelphia's 32 second-quarter points before going into the half.

Coming Alive

Joel Embiid was the Sixers' leading scorer by a long shot on Friday in the first half. James Harden came alive and took over for the team when the second half started.

At first, Harden put his facilitator cap on. In the nine minutes he played in the third quarter, Harden scored just two points but generated four assists. Meanwhile, Georges Niang came alive and knocked down all three of his threes.

The Sixers continued building on their lead in the third quarter as they outscored the Mavericks by three once again. While Philadelphia has developed an alarming trend of dropping leads recently -- that wasn't the case against Dallas.

Closing It Out

Harden had the opportunity to play for 11 of the final 12 minutes. He was a perfect 3-3 from the field and created another four assists. Harden led the Sixers in fourth quarter, scoring with 11 points as the 76ers outscored Dallas for the fourth-straight quarter.

While the Sixers have found themselves making victories harder to pick up, the team played one of its most complete games in recent time. There were plenty of avoidable turnovers, but the Sixers' offense was in good hands as Embiid scored a game-high of 32 points.

Meanwhile, James Harden was on triple-double watch as he produced 24 points and 12 assists while coming down with seven rebounds. On the other end, the Sixers kept Dallas' star Luka Doncic in check as he shot 5-20 from the field for just 17 points.

With a 111-101 victory, the Sixers picked up their 43rd win of the season against a Western Conference playoff contender in the Mavs. Now, the Sixers will get Saturday off before hosting the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.