MILWAUKEE — The Philadelphia 76ers had a tough Sunday night, losing to the host Milwaukee Bucks, 117-104. The Bucks came out firing: They shot a blistering 69.6% from the floor and hit five 3s in the first quarter.
The Sixers had a tough time getting into their offense, and James Harden was unable to make an impact to start the game. The Beard didn’t take a shot in the first quarter as the Bucks were going on their run, and he only had two assists and a turnover.
By the time Harden scored his first points, knocking down two free throws, Philadelphia was down, 41-26. He then drilled a tough 3 at the 10:57 mark for his first field goal attempt. He scored nine of his 11 points in the second quarter and he had five turnovers against six assists.
The performance was a bit of a head-scratcher considering how terrific Harden was in this same building on March 4. Was it something the Bucks did? Was the Achilles bothering him? What was the reason for the off night?
“I don’t know,” coach Doc Rivers said. “I’ll look at the film. I’m not sure.”
Afterward, Harden declined comment so at the moment, most are left to wonder what happened with The Beard.
Harden has been terrific throughout this season. Even in the recent wins over the Dallas Mavericks and the Toronto Raptors, he had a big impact. He just had an off night against a very good Bucks team while dealing with left Achilles soreness.
Harden and the Sixers look to bounce back on Tuesday when they play host to the Boston Celtics.
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