Joel Embiid and James Harden put on a show in Philadelphia today in their third straight game together and Harden’s first game in Philadelphia. The duo led their team from a 7 point deficit after the first half to win the game by 15 points. The win was against a very mediocre New York Knicks team, but things look good for the Philadelphia 76ers, especially with the unexpected scoring improvement from Tyrese Maxey.
The 76ers had 5 players in double digits. Embiid had 27 points and 12 rebounds while James Harden had 26 points,9 assists, and 9 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey had 25 points and it is his 3rd straight game with 20+ points. The other 2 players in double digits were Tobias Harris (14 points and 7 rebounds) and Matisse Thybulle (10 points).
The Knicks had 4 players in double digits. RJ Barrett was the highest scorer in the game and had 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. The other 3 players were Julius Randle (24 points and 6 rebounds), Mitchell Robinson (10 points and 7 rebounds), and Immanuel Quickley (11 points). The only positive the Knicks have had all season is the fact that RJ Barrett looks like he could be a star in this league.
With the win, the 76ers move to within half a game of the 2 seed, the Chicago Bulls. In an extremely competitive Eastern Conference, every win counts, and the 76ers look like that’s exactly what they are going to continue doing. For the Knicks, this season has been a disappointment, to say the least. From the playoffs to not even making the play-in games this season.
The 76ers have a tough 3 games ahead of them that will be the true test of how good the duo is. The first game is against a young Cleveland Cavaliers team. After that, they have to play the Heat in a back-to-back. Once that is done they have to play the Bulls on the 8th of March. These games will be a true test for the 76ers and their duo will have to show up with their A-game. The game after that is the Brooklyn Nets vs the 76ers. Hopefully, everyone on the Nets can get back and we can witness a show on Philadelphia!
