James Harden Goes Ice Cold, Sinking The Sixers in Game 3
The James Harden we saw in game 1 is like a distant memory now. Since then, the James Harden from last year’s Heat series was back. after scoring 45 on Monday night, shooting 17-30 from the field, and 7-14 from deep, Harden has not touched that type of production since. 2-14 in game one, and now 3-13 in game 3. So despite an MVP-like performance from Joel Embiid, Sixers have now dropped 2 straight. The Celtics ended up taking this one by a score of 114-102.
The kicker was a moment where James Harden was driving to an open basket but then kicked it out. It probably gave Sixers fans flashbacks to Ben Simmons passing out of an open dunk vs the Hawks. Granted after a few extra passes the possession ended in a 3 for the Sixers. But the usually aggressive Harden looked timid. Can you blame him though? He was missing close shots and having layups blocked all night. His passing was off too. Sure he finished with double-digit assists. But he was also throwing it away far too often. 5 turnovers on the night, many of which led to points the other way.
Tyrese Maxey was not much better. He stayed aggressive throughout. But his shot was wild. 4-16 from the field, with just 13 points. Even when he beat his defender with his speed, he couldn’t finish shots that are usually automatic for him.
The shame is all wasted a great night from the injured Embiid. 30 pts, 13 rebounds including 5 on offense, to go with 4 blocks. But no one stepped up around him. Harris spent much of the night in foul trouble and wasn’t doing much when on the floor. And outside a short stretch from Georges Niang, the bench gave them nothing. On a tight that was supposed to be a celebration of Embiid winning the MVP, his teammates left him out to dry.
The Sixers will now try to prevent going back to Boston down 3-1. They get that chance Sunday at 3:30. Someone other than Embiid is going to have to figure things out though if they want to have any chance to win that game.
