Maybe Mavericks coach Don Nelson should consider signing and suiting up 46-year-old former rebounding champion Moses Malone. Based on the suspect state of the team's rebounding problems, it couldn't hurt.

The previously winless Philadelphia 76ers pounded the Mavericks on the backboards, 54-38, en route to claiming a 98-91 victory Saturday at American Airlines Center. After losing their first home game in the new facility, the Mavericks know they must find a way to improve their rebounding.

"They were getting all the loose balls bouncing around, and that was a big key why we lost the game," forward Dirk Nowitizki said of the 76ers. "I guess they were just a little bit more aggressive than we were on the boards."

The Mavericks could have had their rebounding woes solved last season when they inquired about a trade for then-Atlanta Hawks center Dikembe Mutombo. But the Hawks wanted too much in return - Michael Finley, Steve Nash and/or Nowitzki.

"Mutombo is a great rebounder," Nowitzki said. "He's big, he's long, and he's hard for us to keep out of the paint. He destroyed us on the boards. They got too many offensive rebounds."