Behind rejuvenated James Harden, 76ers meet struggling Knicks
James Harden will make his home debut Philadelphia on Wednesday night when the 76ers battle the New York Knicks for the second time in four days.
Harden has thrived in his two games since being acquired with Paul Millsap from the Brooklyn Nets for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks.
In Sunday’s 125-109 win at New York, Harden had 29 points, 16 assists, 10 rebounds and five steals.
Harden has been criticized for his conditioning and work ethic in the past, but says he’s thrilled to be in Philadelphia.
«It’s like a kid growing up, trying to figure out what to do in basketball, something that I fell in love with,» Harden said. «I wasn’t the most athletic or explosive guy. I just tried to work my way every single day, and now, I’m in a position where I am today. I’m still not complacent. I’m still not comfortable.»
NBA leading scorer Joel Embiid (29.8 points a game) looks comfortable since Harden joined him in the starting lineup. The Most Valuable Player candidate had 37 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots Sunday while hitting 23 of 27 free-throw tries.
Having Harden alongside him has opened up the floor for Embiid.
«Unstoppable,» Embiid said of playing with Harden. «What are you really gonna do? He’s a great passer and, obviously, I got someone that attracts a lot of attention, so you gotta make a decision. Do you stay on me or do you stay on him? If you wanna guard both of us with the other guys now, you got Matisse (Thybulle) diving to the rim or wide-open shooters that got one job to do, and that is to make shots. That’s all we gotta keep doing.»
The struggling Knicks hope to avoid a sixth consecutive loss when they play the Sixers.
The Knicks’ most recent win came on Feb. 10, 116-114 at the Golden State Warriors.
«Our togetherness down the stretch is not good enough,» New York’s Evan Fournier said. «By togetherness, I mean we are not tied together enough. Down the stretch, like I said, we have no confidence, so we are second-guessing at times. It should be second nature — boom, boom, boom, this is what we’re doing.
«As long as we are not doing that, it’s going to be hard to close out games against teams that are good,» Fournier added. «It keeps happening and that’s what’s so frustrating.»
The Knicks have been besieged by injuries, and the lack of depth has been noticeable. Derrick Rose appeared to be close to returning but has been delayed by a second procedure on his right ankle.
Without that leadership, the Knicks have scuffled down the stretch in most games.
«I think experience, particularly when you have a lead, controlling and managing the game — the fourth quarter’s different,» Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. «The intensity of the fourth quarter is different. Decision-making is different. When you have an experienced guy in that position, I think you can control things a lot better. So we’re working on it. We gotta get better at it.»
Thibodeau said Nerlens Noel (foot injury) is questionable for Wednesday’s rematch.
–Field Level Media
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