MANHATTAN, N.Y.–Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris has had a rough go at it since the addition of James Harden to their lineup. He was just 2-for-9 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday and he started 0-for-6 on Sunday against the New York Knicks.
Then, he drilled a big triple to stretch Philadelphia’s lead back to eight with 4:02 left in the fourth quarter and he hit two more big shots to help the Sixers close out a 125-109 win over the Knicks. It was a tough shooting performance again, but he shook it off and help Philadelphia close out an important win for them.
Harden, who had his first triple-double as a Sixer in the win, stayed in Harris’ ear all game long in order to make sure he stayed focused.
“Yes, all the time,” Harden said after the game. “There were opportunities where Tobias had four or five catch-and-shoot opportunities that he passed up and try to dribble past somebody. That’s the thing that I’m gonna stay in his ear about is he got those opportunities. I don’t care if you miss 20 of them, those are shots we need you to take because more times than not, you’re gonna make those shots.”
Harris is a player who thrives on finding a rhythm within the flow of the game. When the pace is quickened and the Sixers can get up and down the floor, that is when he finds his rhythm and he can make shots again. He was able to do so in the fourth.
“He knows,” added coach Doc Rivers. “He was frustrated with not making shots. Then we ran a play, I think in the beginning of the third, he should’ve come off and he had a shot, and he kinda hesitated, but it’ll come. This is game two.”
Rivers then gave credit to Harden for making plays for him and everybody else on the floor. He just knows how to get his teammates involved.
“He’s just a smart player,” Rivers said of Harden. “Like, clearly, he knows when Georges (Niang) is on the floor. He’s literally trying to get him a shot because he knows how to get him a shot. He got Tobias a couple. It was good to see the ball go in for Tobias because he’s gotta get his rhythm back. He’s very patient about it, we have to do that.”
Harden is embracing his role as the leader on this team and he has done his job of keeping his teammates in the game. He was to instill more confidence in Harris as they move forward.
“As long as I can build that confidence in each and every one of our guys,” Harden finished. “The better our team will be collectively.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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