James Harden has been heavily criticized of late for the role he has played — or the lack thereof — for the Sixers as they fell to an 0-2 hole against the Miami Heat. The former league MVP bounced back in a major way on Friday as he helped Philly to a season-saving Game 3 win, 99-79.

Harden dropped 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in the win as the Sixers closed the gap in the series to 2-1. Harden proved to be one of the most important players on the floor for Philly on Friday and his team-high +/- rating is a clear testament to this fact (h/t StatMuse on Twitter):

Related NewsArticle continues below
Baylor Bears guard VJ Edgecombe (7) passes the ball away from Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Cameron Matthews (4) during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center.
Ranking 3 best VJ Edgecombe destinations in 2025 NBA Draft
Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (20) holds his head next to Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) after a hard fall during the third quarter.
Jared McCain’s insane reaction to Haliburton’s shot to force OT

This simply means that the Sixers played much better when Harden was on the floor. For a bit of context, Joel Embiid was a +8 in this one while Tyrese Maxey logged a +17.

Hopefully for the Sixers, Harden will be able to build on this strong performance. He may no longer put up the mind-boggling numbers he once did during his time with the Houston Rockets, but there's no denying that he's still going to be a key factor for Philadelphia if they hope to come back in this series.

*Watch the NBA Playoffs LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*