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          Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks delay sparks tic-tac-toe game

          • Brianna Williams, ESPNFeb 5, 2022, 04:27 AM

          There's never a dull moment in the NBA, even during a game delay.

          A crooked rim was responsible for a lengthy first-quarter break in action during the Philadelphia 76ers-Dallas Mavericks game.

          The interruption began after Luka Doncic made a 3-pointer, then alerted officials that the rim had become unleveled. Play was paused for over 40 minutes as a crew was tasked with fixing the basket.

          As a result of the lack of action on the court, both squads' social accounts decided to take matters into their own hands and brought another competition to the virtual world.

          They chose to play one of the most nostalgic games of all time: tic-tac-toe.

          Dallas ended the contest with a move that didn't quite abide by the rulebook, but it was still an entertaining way to pass the time.

          The two teams also bonded over current Maverick and former Sixer Boban Marjanovic.

          Marjanovic's attempt to fix the rim was futile and a new stanchion was brought onto the court.

          Both squads were relieved once the on-court action resumed.

          Once it was all said and done, the first quarter spanned roughly 90 minutes in real time.