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James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers finally entered the win column on Monday night, after a 120-106 win over the Indiana Pacers.
Harden led the overall scoring with 29 points to go along with nine rebounds, 11 assists and two steals on 10-for-18 (55.6%) shooting. But one fourth quarter play in particular from Harden really stood out.
Harden brought the ball up the court and crossed over Pacers rookie shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin, knocking him to the floor. He then proceeded to step back and shimmy before splashing a triple.
There was a lot of debate this past offseason about whether James Harden could still perform at an elite level for the Sixers. Harden averaged just 21.0 points per game in 21 games for the Sixers last season. That was his lowest scoring average since his final year with the OKC Thunder back in 2012.
Much of this had to do with a recurring hamstring injury Harden had been dealing with. But at age 33, many fans became worried that he was now past his prime.
However, so far through four games, Harden has looked like his regular self. He currently has averages of 26.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 3.0 3-pointers per game while shooting 48.6% from the field.
Harden had the full offensive arsenal on display versus the Pacers. He was scoring in the midrange, finishing on his drives and finding his open teammates. But it was his late 3-point barrage that sealed the win for Philly.
The Sixers may only be 1-3 on the season, but it’s certainly encouraging for Sixers fans to see Harden playing at a superstar level. Philly just needs their role players to start playing more consistently now. If they do, the Sixers' star duo of James Harden and Joel Embiid should still be able to contend in the Eastern Conference.
James Harden's stepback that sent Marcus Smart to the floor
Some fans have noticed similarities between James Harden’s stepback shimmy three versus the Indiana Pacers and the stepback shimmy three he attempted on opening night.
During the Sixers' 126-117 opening night loss to the Boston Celtics, Harden had an almost identical play against Celtics guard Marcus Smart. Harden crossed over Smart and sent him flying across the floor. He then shimmied before attempting a wide-open stepback three. The only difference is that he missed the rim entirely.
The play went viral and led to countless jokes from fans. Most jokes asserted that between Smart’s flop and Harden’s terrible finish that it was one of the worst offensive possessions of basketball they’ve ever seen.
So in a sense, Harden’s shot versus the Pacers offered him a little bit of redemption on Monday night.
James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers will now look to keep the positive momentum going. Their next two games will be a back-to-back set of road games against the 2-2 Toronto Raptors on Wednesday and Friday.
These games will mark the Sixers' first matchups with the Raptors since they eliminated them 4-2 in the first round of last year’s playoffs.
