In just his second game as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, former NBA MVP James Harden absolutely dominated the New York Knicks Sunday afternoon.
Joining forces with NBA MVP candidate Joel Embiid, Harden led Philadelphia to a 125-109 win over New York at Madison Square Garden. The veteran guard connected on 8-of-14 shots for 29 points while adding 10 rebounds and 16 assists for his first triple-double with Philadelphia.
As for Embiid, the talented center scored 37 points while taking a whopping 27 free throws in yet another dominating performance. All of this comes on the heels of the Philadelphia 76ers destroying the Minnesota Timberwolves in James Harden’s debut with the team Friday evening.
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Philadelphia 76ers look like legit NBA title contenders with James Harden and Joel Embiid
The aforementioned win over Minnesota saw Harden score 27 points while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out 12 assists. The 32-year-old guard has been completely rejuvenated since being acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in the blockbuster trade involving Ben Simmons.
- James Harden stats (two games with 76ers): 28.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 14.0 APG, 58% FG, 57% three-point
It’s rather obvious that Harden and Embiid are already clicking for a Philadelphia team that’s now just 2.5 games out of the top seed in the Eastern Confrence. Just look at the tape.
As for Embiid, he’s playing the best ball of his career. In fact, he’s been the best player in the Association over the past several weeks.
- Joel Embiid stats (past 29 games): 33.3 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.4 BPG, 53% shooting
Despite Ben Simmons sitting out the entire season before the blockbuster February 10 trade, Embiid had kept his Philadelphia 76ers above water. It was an indication of just how well the All-Star center has been playing.
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Now with Harden in the mix, Embiid finally has that elite-level running partner. Harden’s addition also sets the stage for an elite-level starting five with Tyrese Maxey breaking out and Tobias Harris continuing to play at a high level.
Maxey’s presence is important in that Philadelphia front office head Daryl Morey pushed back against sending him to Brooklyn in the Simmons trade. Morey views Maxey as a core piece moving forward. For good reason.
- Tyrese Maxey stats (2021-22): 17.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.6 APG, 48% shooting, 40% three-point
Having Maxey as the No. 3 or No. 4 scoring option has proven to be beneficial to a 76ers squad that boasts a 26-12 record since an 11-11 start to the 2021-22 campaign.
Moving forward, there’s absolutely no reason to believe James Harden and Joel Embiid can’t continue to mesh as the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for the stretch run and the playoffs.
The next several games will be telling with Philadelphia set to take on fellow Eastern Conference contenders in that of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets over the next two weeks.
Should Philly come out of that stretch playing great basketball, Doc Rivers and Co. will put the rest of the NBA on notice. These 76ers are legit NBA title contenders. Period!