PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers had a chance late at home against the rival Toronto Raptors. After two missed free throws by rookie Scottie Barnes, the Sixers were down 90-88 with 7.2 seconds left. At that point, it was time for James Harden to prove why Philadelphia went out and acquired him.
It seemed like a prime moment for him to step up and come through for his new team, but when he drove the paint, he was called for an offensive foul which was then turned into a flagrant-1 foul. The Raptors took advantage and they went on to win 93-88.
It was a fitting end to a night where the Sixers saw a 16-point lead in the first half evaporate rather quickly and they only scored 51 points in the final three quarters after scoring 37 in the opening 12 minutes. Harden finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, but he also had six turnovers on the night.