James Harden knew he had a lot to prove after two sluggish games for the Philadelphia 76ers in Games 2 and 3 of the playoff series with the Boston Celtics. He came through in a huge way with 42 points and the game-winning 3-point shot in a 116-115 overtime victory that evened the series at 2-2.
This moment between James Harden and John Hao is everything š
Harden signs his shoes for Hao after the Sixers get the win!pic.twitter.com/3ERNgcn6lA
ā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 7, 2023
Moments after hitting the go-ahead shot and the Sixers survived the Celtics' final possession, Harden took off his shoes, signed them and gave them to John Hao, one of the shooting victims at Michigan State University last February.
Hao had been invited to the playoff game by Harden, and the Chinese student wore a Harden jersey while he watched the game with his parents.
Harden and the 76ers trailed the Celtics 115-113 in the final minute of overtime after Boston's Jayson Tatum hit a controversial 3-point shot. It appeared that Tatum pushed off his defender before making the long shot, but no call was made.
Philadelphia center Joel Embiid took the ball deep into the lane and it appeared he would try to tie the game with a short shot. However, he passed the ball to a wide open James Harden when he saw Jaylen Brown charge at him, and Harden hit the long shot from the corner.
Marcus Smart of the Celtics momentarily appeared to hit a game-winner for the visitors, but his go-ahead 3-point shot came an instant after the clock expired.
The win allowed the Sixers to put the series back on even terms. The Celtics will host the Sixers Tuesday night in Game 5 of the series. The winner of that game will seize control and find themselves one in away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.
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