DALLAS _ Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot's first career start did not end with a 76ers victory.
The Dallas Mavericks prevailed, 113-95, Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center. It dropped the Sixers to 18-30 and marked their eighth consecutive loss in the series with the Mavericks (19-30).
But Luwawu-Cabarrot got the start because Robert Covington was sidelined with a bruised right hand. He is listed as day-to-day.
Luwawu-Cabarrot finished with seven points on 3-for-5 shooting. He also had four rebounds, two assists and two turnovers in 22 minutes, 55 seconds. Ersan Ilyasova was the most effective Sixer, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The Sixers are still without center Joel Embiid, who has a bone bruise in his left knee. Jahlil Okafor finished with 16 points on 7-for-16 shooting while starting in his place. He had only one rebound.
But Okafor, or any other Sixer, did not provide much resistance for Mavericks reserve Salah Mejri. The 7-foot-2 center dunked his way to a season-high 16 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds.
Mavs shooting guard Seth Curry finished with a game-high 22 points.
Luwawu-Cabarrot tried to approach this game like all the others. But as expected, he was extremely excited.
He said he told himself Wednesday morning, "I have to give the best" because of the magnitude of his first NBA start.
"Coach had confidence to put me on the court in the starting five," he said. "But I have to go and do my job right."
To calm his nerves, Luwawu-Cabarrot kept thinking about playing with energy, bringing excitement, and focusing on defense. They were the same thoughts he had before the Sixers' previous games.
The difference this time was that Luwawu-Cabarrot was starting in place of Covington. Heck, there was a time when playing anything more than garbage minutes was a major feat for him.
Luwawu-Cabarrot did not leave the bench on 12 occasions this season. Then on Nov. 21, the Sixers assigned him to the Delaware 87ers, their NBA Development League affiliate, on a night when they hosted the Miami Heat. Luwawu-Cabarrot played in Delaware against the Greensboro Swarm instead. That wasn't his only game with the Sevens.
He also played against the Grand Rapids Drive on Nov. 29 and the Oklahoma City Blue on Dec. 13.
Luwawu-Cabarrot got more incorporated into the Sixers' game plan after they waived Hollis Thompson on Jan. 4.
But being a seldom-used rookie on D-League assignments was how Luwawu-Cabarrot envisioned the way his rookie season would start out.
To his credit, Luwawu-Cabarrot is well aware that he's far from a finished product. Extremely athletic, he excels in the transition game.
"I think I still have to know how to defend, like picking up the guys in front of me," Luwawu-Cabarrot said. "Sometimes the point guard is slow. Sometimes the point guard is quick. I have to adjust to that and know who I am guarding."
The Sixers are confident that he'll make the proper defensive adjustment as he matures as a player.
Luwawu-Cabarrot has already overcome life at the end of the bench. Before that, he had to cope with the disappointment of not being a high draft pick. The Sixers acquired him with the 24th pick in June.
"I was kind of surprised and a little bit mad about the teams that said, 'We like you [but eventually went in other directions],' " Luwawu-Cabarrot said. "But I am to Philly and the team is great and there's a lot of European guys. And I like everybody here.
"So the process is perfect. I couldn't be in a better situation."
However, he's not satisfied. Luwawu-Cabarrot longs to be a regular starter alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons down the road.
"That's why I'm working hard every day," he said.
