The Philadelphia 76ers were full-fledged collapsing in San Francisco on Tuesday. The Golden State Warriors had all of the momentum after rallying from 24 points down and they were up by six in the fourth quarter. It seemed like they were going to steal one from the Sixers.
Without Joel Embiid, the Sixers turned to their $180 million man.
Tobias Harris delivered another All-Star worthy performance of 25 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists and he made huge plays down the stretch to lead Philadelphia to a 108-98 win on the road. Harris scored nine points and he was a plus-15 in the fourth quarter, alone to lead the Sixers in this one.
It was a far cry from his struggles in the win over the New York Knicks on Sunday.
“He struggled in New York a little bit in that game,” said coach Doc Rivers. “It’s interesting to see how a guy comes off of that night. What I liked about his game tonight, he didn’t force it. He kind of just let the game come to him and he made plays, not just with the shot, but with the pass, played phenomenal defense.”
Harris made the game-winning free throws in overtime on Sunday in New York, but it was an overall struggle for him. He did not shoot the ball very well and he did not have his usual solid night on the defensive end. All of that changed on Tuesday as he played a little more relaxed and he did not force things.
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“Just being able to evaluate the game a little bit better, really,” Harris explained. “Obviously, it’s kind of new territory of us playing, new dynamic, new lineup, pretty much, and just trying to pick apart the game the best way possible. I thought tonight we found some good action, with the horn set, and was able to get the guy that we wanted in some of those matchups, but it was more patience than the other night, and obviously, not as many mistakes, defensively.”
The great players in this league always bounce back after a rough performance. They evaluate what went wrong for them and they made the necessary changes in the next one.
That is what Harris did in The Bay on Tuesday. It was an overall professional performance for him, which is really nothing new.
“Every game is a game to evolve and a game to get better,” he finished. “For myself, I go back and watch the film, check out spacing, see different plays that could be made out there, and really dissect that. It’s part of the process of the player, being in those positions, but I’m a guy who wants to master those settings so that’s big for me.”
The Sixers will now need more from him in the next one as they visit the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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