The second-round series between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers is tied at two games apiece, thanks largely to some clutch shots from guard James Harden. Harden has two game-winners in this series. The first came in Game 1 when Harden swished a step-back three over Al Horford to give the Sixers a 1-0 series lead.
Harden hit his second-game winner in Sunday's Game 4. With the clock winding down, Joel Embiid passed Harden the ball out of a double-team, and Harden buried a corner three to secure a win in overtime.
With this pair of game-winners, Harden made NBA playoff history. He became the first player to hit two game-winners in the final 20 seconds in a playoff series since Kevin Durant did it against the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2012, per a tweet from the NBA History Twitter account:
James Harden has hit two game-winners in the final 20 seconds of the PHI-BOS Eastern Conference Semifinals so far.
The last player to hit 2 such shots in a series was Kevin Durant vs. LAL in 2012 (game-winners with 18.6 seconds left in Game 2, 13.7 seconds left in Game 4). pic.twitter.com/CNWJA43djO
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) May 8, 2023
James Harden, 33, is in his 14th year in the NBA and second as a member of the Sixers franchise. He averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 3.4 turnovers per game across 58 appearances this season (all starts).
The former Arizona State star shot the ball with great efficiency from behind the three-point arc in the 2022-23 campaign — Harden's 38.5% three-point percentage was the second-highest of his pro career.
Harden and the Sixers have a pivotal Game 5 ahead of them on Tuesday night. If they can steal another win in Boston, they'll have a 3-2 series lead and all of the momentum. So here's to hoping that Harden can put together another crunch-time masterclass in Game 5 and lead the Sixers to victory.
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