The Philadelphia 76ers eeked out a 98-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday night, a game in which Tobias Harris struggled mightily.
Harris finished with just eight points on 4-17 shooting. He missed all 11 of his attempts from beyond the arc and had just five rebounds and four assists. After the game, head coach Brett Brown was asked about Harris’ performance, and it turns out there was a pretty good reason for his struggles.
Brown noted that Harris has been battling an illness and that he had prepared for the game under the assumption that Harris wasn’t going to play. He didn’t learn that Harris would be available until the team’s walkthrough when Tobias told him “I want to go.”
Brett Brown speaks on Tobias Harris tonight. Brown reveals he was sick and attributed that to his tough night. #Sixers pic.twitter.com/G8tMBKMfO5
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) November 13, 2019
The revelation makes it easier to understand Harris’ struggles on Tuesday night, and it’s commendable that he wanted to tough it out and be out there, especially with Al Horford already sitting the game out to rest.
As Brown noted, Harris was huge down the stretch for the Sixers, scoring two buckets and assisting on Joel Embiid’s game-winning dunk as the team closed the game on a 6-0 run. For him to not only battle through not feeling well but to stay in the game mentally despite his struggles is admirable.
Brown’s comments certainly serve to alter the way Harris’ night is viewed. Hopefully, he’ll be feeling better soon.