The Philadelphia 76ers (39-34) welcomed James Harden back to his former home as they played the Los Angeles Clippers (45-27) again. The Sixers built a lead, squandered it and lost a game that they had the lead for the most of. Final score: 108-107.
Let’s break down Harden's return to Philadelphia.
76ers player notes:
Tyrese Maxey: 26 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 9-20 FG shooting
Maxey did a good job against the Clippers' defense on Sunday, maintaining patience when they blitzed and hunting harder when they played him more relaxed. He went deep in his bag and came up empty on several attempts (partly due to some poor selection too deep into the paint) before turning it on late in the game. His speed is truly unmatched, a weapon that can stifle any defender if they’re not ready to pounce.
Clippers player notes:
James Harden: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 steals, 6-15 FG shooting
A recipient of loud boos throughout the game, Harden had a little more pep in his step than he did in the first Sixers-Clippers matchup. Making plays in bunches and fading in and out of effectiveness, Harden benefited significantly from incredibly clutch buckets from Kawhi Leonard and hot three-point shooting from Paul George. Still, the floor general navigated his squad to victory.
Game recap:
At long last, he has returned. Harden played his first game in Philly since his public spectacle of a trade demand. He was unable to exact revenge his first time seeing the 76ers this season, allowing Philly to run away with it in Los Angeles. Even amid the whirlwind that has been this Sixers season following the trade that sent Harden west, the fans at the Wells Fargo Center haven’t forgotten his ugly exit from the team.
Buddy Hield was active after getting X-rays for his ankle after Philly’s last game and Kelly Oubre Jr. returned to the starting lineup.
1st half
Leonard guarded Maxey to start with George taking Tobias Harris. Oubre took on Harden, who continued to receive boos, while Harris matched up with Leonard. Harden gave fans plays to cheer for by clanking threes and stepping out of bounds. LA's offense stumbled out of the gate with just two points in the first three minutes. Harris scored seven points early on as Philly put pressure on the paint.
Nico Batum splashed a three on his first possession against his former team as the Sixers came out of the first timeout of the game with a 9-0 run. Maxey got blitzed once again but stayed poised, waiting for a chance to penetrate rather than immediately giving the ball up. He darted into daylight toward the paint, scoring a layup and drawing a foul as the Clippers came up mostly empty in non-transition possessions.
Maxey tried to start fast breaks for the 76ers but was turned away by solid transition defense. Although he shot inefficiently, he put on a dazzling display of moves and kept the Clippers' defense sweating, snaking his dribble on drives and flashing some nifty handles. He hit a buzzer-beating floater at the end of the first quarter, giving Philly a 30-18 lead.
Another former Sixer, P.J. Tucker, checked into the game at the start of the second quarter as a small-ball center. Paul Reed scored at the hoop with relative ease and Hield scored on a second-chance layup when Tucker flubbed a rebound. Maxey fouled Harden on a triple and immediately helped him up but the Beard missed the extra free throw. The Clips' disjointed offense left them scrapping for answers, though they had managed to tone the Sixers' offensive firepower down.
Harden gashed the 76ers defense for a layup as the Clippers cut a 15-point deficit to five. Philly could hardly buy a triple and still managed to stay ahead. Maxey ripped off five quick points with a step-back triple and a pull-up from mid-range, looking like he could go nuclear at any moment.
At halftime, the 76ers led 50-46.
2nd half
Harden assisted PG-13 on a trey to make it a one-point game before Lowry responded with one of his own. The boos for Harden had started to die down as the game went on as he tried to get LAC ahead, which he did by assisting George on another triple. The Sixers eventually took it back, finding themselves in a dogfight despite executing at a higher level and playing harder in the first half. The performances from each team did not match up with the scoreboard at that point.
Mo Bamba proved to be a huge factor for Philly, securing his first double-double of the season with over 18 minutes of game time left. His efforts on the glass were huge, throwing his weight around with Ivica Zubac and making shots at the rim harder to come by. The points he provided were those typical for a big man but he took care of business nonetheless. Harris' defense on Leonard, who made just one of his first 12 shots, was also pivotal.
The 76ers offense stalled as Maxey got stonewalled by Zubac on several drives. Leonard flushed a dunk on a fast break and then stripped Hield of the ball to get another. The superstar may not have been shooting well but he was rebounding and making other plays at a strong rate, taking the game from the Sixers, who did nothing but let it start to happen with their shoddy play to start the second half.
The Maxey-Hield connection put the Sixers on top by four by the start of the fourth quarter. The big-time trade-deadline acquisition has been wandering through games for a while but, when engaged with off-ball movement and closeouts to attack, was able to score with clean moves.
On cue, Maxey saved his best for the fourth quarter. He left defenders in the dust on his way to free-throw-line trips, jumpers and kick-out passes. There’s always enough juice left in his tank to make the plays the 76ers need when it feels like they have no other options.
The Sixers went to a 2-3 zone in a Harris-at-center lineup as the Clippers also went center-less. The open space made it easier for Maxey to dash into space, scoring on a layup and drawing another foul. Batum aided the efforts by swatting away a Harden layup attempt. Hield fought for an offensive rebound in a gaggle of Clippers, eventually getting the ball to bounce to Oubre for a close shot in the paint.
Philly switched back to man-to-man defense but surrendered buckets to Norman Powell due to some miscommunication, making it only a two-point game before Batum again stuck it to his former club with a corner three. On an inbounds pass, Maxey got wide open but slipped and fell, allowing Amir Coffey to tack on another point. Maxey got double-teamed under his own basket once the Clippers caught onto the fact that no one else was comfortable dribbling under immense pressure.
That pressure forced a backcourt Philly turnover, resulting in an incredibly acrobatic layup from Leonard through a foul. He hit the foul shot and Hield, with the shot clock winding down, splashed a triple with 22.7 seconds left. Leonard yet again scored an and-one layup plus a freebie. The Sixers let them play on and Maxey, after getting into some trouble, managed to get a foul call.
In the ensuing play, Oubre challenged Leonard with Maxey deep in the backcourt. Before the Sixers could run their play, Leonard had wedgied the shot, forcing a jump ball. The scramble that ensued resulted in a shot attempt that was too late from Oubre. Nick Nurse stormed onto the court to yell at the refs over George's contact with Oubre that did occur with time left. But Oubre waiting so long to get the shot up did him no favors.
Harden got his revenge.
Assorted observations:
- Tucker had nice things to say about his time with the Sixers and their fans before the game. But he knew what to expect in regard to Harden's treatment from fans.
- Harden is clearly, at best, Embiid-era Sixers Villain No. 3 behind Ben Simmons and Al Horford based on the reception he got. The boos were consistent but the crowd clearly wasn’t into it all the way through the game. Simmons was boosed more thunderously in his return(s) and Horford gets them to this day despite last playing for Philly in 2020.
The 76ers will be back on the road again to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
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