Sometimes, you really have to tip to an amazing talent. That’s what happened on Friday night when Houston Rockets star James Harden put up a ridiculous stat line of 44 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists to knock off the Philadelphia 76ers 118-108. The Sixers finished up a disappointing 0-4 road trip that leaves them with plenty of questions to answer.
For now, you really have to just tip your cap as the Sixers had no answer for the magnificent Harden. He shot 6-for-12 from deep and he made all 12 of his free throws as he made life miserable for any Sixer who tried to defend him.
“James is a great player, so it’s hard to really stop somebody that is that elite,” said Josh Richardson. “You just have to try to make it tough on him, try to contain him a little bit and kind of try to hold everybody else to their averages.”
Harden only had nine points after the first quarter, but then he went to work in the second scoring 14 points which then spurred him for the rest of his team as his play allowed Clint Capela to get open for lobs on his way to 30 points for the night. It was that offensive output that really bothered coach Brett Brown’s team.
“Where do I begin?” Brown began on Harden. “Just his ability to create the attention. You never feel comfortable that you’re close enough. He dribbles two feet over half-court and you still don’t feel like you’re close enough. Then you try to get close, but he’s strong enough and good enough to go by you and then Capela gets behind your head for the lobs, and so the package is lethal. He was outstanding tonight.”
Philadelphia did its best to defend Harden as they threw a couple of different options at him, but it did not seem to matter. The Rockets got whatever they wanted and they were led by their Bearded superstar.
“That’s a special team with James especially and a lot of other weapons,” said guard Ben Simmons. “Offensively, he is an amazing talent, so he’s going to be a tough matchup.”
Harden entered the night averaging 38.2 points so he’s already been terrorizing the league with his scoring performances. The Sixers need to just tip their cap to the scoring machine and continue to push on.
“It’s always frustrating to guard and defend guys like that,” Richardson added. “But that’s why in the NBA every team, every night, is a different scheme against them to try to figure it out and nobody has figured it out yet.”
Philadelphia will return home on Monday to take on Chris Paul and the Oklahoma City Thunder. [lawrence-related id=22632,22616,22610]