Sixers praise James Harden for getting aggressive in win over Mavericks
PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers were locked in a tight battle with the Dallas Mavericks at home and with the game in the balance, they needed somebody to step up and help Joel Embiid get the job done. The big fella was playing well, but he needed some help.
Enter The Beard.
James Harden finished with 24 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds in a 111-101 win over the Mavs at home. He was big in the fourth quarter as he had 11 points on 3-for-3 shooting including knocking down two step-back triples. He had four assists and two rebounds in the quarter as well and it was a performance the Sixers expected of him.
Embiid pushing Harden to be aggressive
There were stretches on Friday where it looked like Harden was just floating out there. He occasionally seems to have these moments where he isn’t looking for his offense and Embiid was pushing Harden to do that in the fourth quarter.
“Obviously, the start of the fourth, I’ve been telling him I want him to be more aggressive offensively so it was good to see him just carry us and do what he does,” said Embiid.
In terms of just him getting going on the offensive end and taking the game into his hands, Embiid noticed Harden got aggressive and it was that simple.
“Oh, yeah,” Embiid added. “He has to be. He’s been, at times, way too passive. In the playoffs, he has to be aggressive whether he’s scoring the ball or he’s finding guys. Same thing with me. It has to start with us and we gotta look to make the right plays whether it’s scoring or playmaking.”
Harden understanding the moment
With the game on the line, that’s winning time for Harden and the Sixers. It’s time for him to go off and understand that he had to be aggressive in order to ensure Philadelphia got the win.
“Just wanted to be a little bit more aggressive,” said Harden. “Just take advantage of the matchups and get the best shot available. Whether it’s my shot or getting to the basket and creating opportunities for teammates and that’s what I’m good at. I’ve seen an opportunity, a window, and just wanted to be aggressive and take advantage of it.”
Harden balancing scoring with playmaking
Harden has now played 10 games for Philadelphia and there hasn’t been that signature James Harden performance. Meaning there hasn’t been that virtuoso, 40+ point game where he has a triple-double to go along with it. He has led the league in scoring three times in his career, after all, but he hasn’t had that type of game with the Sixers just yet.
“It’s been great,” he said. “I still need to be aggressive. I think tonight was a sign of that. I still need to be in attack mode and look to score the basketball. That’s what I do. Just try to find a balance like I talked about before of when to be a playmaker. I think tonight, especially in that fourth quarter, me attacking, attacking, attacking, the playmaking ability is going to come because we got lobs, we got 3s, so that’s going to come with my aggressiveness. Just gotta read the game.”
Harden understanding who he's playing with
To that point, Harden understands now that he has the likely 2022 MVP playing next to him in Embiid who is currently leading the league in scoring right now. Times have changed for The Beard.
“You got another guy right now who’s leading the league in scoring on my team,” laughed Harden. “Night in and night out, he’s used to, he’s confident of getting buckets and that’s what my job is, then scoring the basketball.”
Harden is obviously a guy who can take over a game at any moment. He just wants to be sure the big fella gets his touches and his groove first.
“Just finding a balance,” he finished. “How many games have I been here? I don’t even know. 10 games. It’s been going good. I’ve just gotta keep finding that balance, but ultimately, my aggressiveness is gonna help our team out a lot.”
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