James Harden made a perfect debut on his debut for the Philadelphia 76ers. In the 133:102 victory of the Sixers in Minnesota, the point guard made a strong showing, and Joel Embiid also delivered a dominant performance. The Timberwolves had no chance in front of their home crowd.
Minnesota Timberwolves (32-29) – Philadelphia 76ers (36-23) 102:133 (BOXSCORE)
A little over two weeks ago, the mega deal between the Nets and the Sixers shook the NBA landscape, Philadelphia was finally able to end the Simmons saga, and Harden and Daryl Morey are reunited.
“He’s a great person, has a great personality, is always smiling, it’s a lot of fun with him,” Embiid said recently about his new co-star. “His presence in the team and on the court makes a big difference. I think he can help us enormously.”
Accordingly, all eyes were on “The Beard”. A few questions arose beforehand, such as how he would function alongside “The Process”, never before in his career did Harden play with a big man of the caliber of Joel Embiid. It would also be interesting to see how Doc Rivers uses his new weapon and what moves he chooses to play.
Prior to the game, Doc Rivers indicated that at least one or more starters should be on the court at all times. This was already evident against the Wolves, as soon as Harden was on the bench, Tyrese Maxey took over the role of playmaker.
Minnesota had nothing to oppose the offensive firepower of the guests, Joel Embiid was the top scorer of the Sixers with 34 points and also recorded a double-double thanks to his 10 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey (27 points) was also in a good mood, as a team the Sixers were able to convince above all with their outside shooting (19/39 3FG).
Karl-Anthony Towns was the top scorer for the Timberwolves with 25 points, but lost out in a direct duel with Embiid. D’Angelo Russell contributed 21 points, Anthony Edwards (15) achieved comparatively little on offense.
Harden ushered in his Philly era with an and-one layup after letting Anthony Edwards out with a notable crossover. Shortly thereafter, the first assist followed when Harden alluded to a completely free Tobias Harris in transition, who completed a 15-0 run by the guests with a three. Minnesota then took the first timeout with around seven minutes on the clock.
Embiid and Harden harmonize
In the first few minutes, Embiid did what he can do better than almost anyone else in the NBA: provoke fouls. In the first quarter alone, the all-star center stood at the free-throw line eight times and had 10 points in the early stages. Philly got off to a better start and was leading by 9 points (34:25) after the first 12 minutes, with the guests doing most of the damage from downtown (5/9 3FG). The T-Wolves made life difficult for themselves with five turnovers.
As expected, the ball was mostly in Harden’s hands, who often went to the basket in the first round and attracted several defenders, giving his teammates regularly open three-pointers. Harden pushed the pace and even delivered his infamous stepback three-pointer just before halftime, getting fouled and completing the four-point play. Minnesota went into the break at -16 (65:49).
In the third quarter, the Sixers managed to keep the hosts at bay. Embiid proved his dominance, scoring 13 points in the period and repeatedly looking for a direct matchup against Towns. In the Wolves center, nothing went together offensively in this phase (2 points, 0/5 FG). Philly went into the final quarter with a comfortable lead (92-74). A remarkable statistic at the time: After the first three quarters, Embiid and Harden were involved in 80.4 percent of all their team’s points.
Towards the end, the Sixers went on autopilot and the Timberwolves surrendered to their fate. Midway through the final stretch, Harden pulled off his second 4-point play of the game, icing on the cake and capping a strong debut. Harden’s final statline: 27 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists.
“I’ve never been free so much in my career,” Embiid said after the game, praising his new co-star. “It was a lot of easy baskets, I used to have to work hard for everything. He showed his shot-making skills impressively in the last quarter. You should have seen my face.”
