The Sixers struggled without Joel Embiid on the floor in their Game 1 matchup against the Miami Heat. Philly needed James Harden to step up big time but in the end, the Heat were able to clamp down on the former league MVP to secure a 106-92 win against the Sixers.
PJ Tucker did a masterful job against Harden, who himself finished with 16 points on 5-of-13 from the floor. After the game, the Sixers star was asked to comment on Tucker's impact on his pedestrian performance and it is clear that Harden isn't too concerned about it right now:
“P.J. is P.J. P.J. is P.J. Plays hard, but it’s not something that I’m worried about,” Harden said, via Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.
James Harden on PJ Tucker: "“P.J. is P.J. P.J. is P.J. Plays hard, but it’s not something that I’m worried about.”
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) May 3, 2022
Tucker is a pesky defender and he definitely had his fingerprints all over this win, particularly with how he prevented Harden from an offensive explosion.
Miami is now 1-0 up in the series and they will look to take a two-game advantage when they face off against the Sixers in Game 2 on Wednesday. Embiid is still expected to sit out Game 2 and you can be sure that the Heat will take full advantage of this fact.
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