76ers' James Harden: Disappears again in closeout game
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Harden recorded nine points (3-11 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, seven assists, one block and two steals over 41 minutes during Sunday's 112-88 loss to the Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Harden and Joel Embiid needed standout games to close out the series against Boston, but the duo fell well short of that goal. Harden could only get three shots to fall in what was one of his worst performances of the season. The future-Hall-of-Famer is an undeniable offensive talent, but this will go down as yet another massively disappointing playoff performance for the 33-year-old, who continues to build a reputation as a player who disappears in big games.
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76ers' James Harden: Nears triple-double in win
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Harden supplied 17 points (4-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 8-10 FT), eight rebounds, 10 assists and two steals across 39 minutes during Tuesday's 115-103 win over the Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Harden garnered nearly half of his total point haul from the charity stripe, and while the 17-point output was a far cry from the 76ers' two previous wins in the series, the veteran guard still found other ways to impact the game. Harden ended just two rebounds away from recording what would've been his first triple-double in the current playoffs, and he also recorded double-digit dimes for the fourth time in that span.
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76ers' James Harden: Leads 76ers to overtime victory
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Harden registered 42 points (16-23 FG, 6-9 3Pt, 4-4 FT), eight rebounds, nine assists, one block and four steals over 47 minutes during Sunday's 116-115 overtime victory over the Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Harden led the team in scoring, assists and steals while finishing one dime and two rebounds shy of a triple-double. Harden, who hit the shot at the end of regulation to force overtime, scored 10 points in the fourth quarter alone while posting his second 40-point game over the last four contests.
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76ers' James Harden: Double-doubles in loss
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Harden closed with 12 points (2-14 FG, 0-6 3Pt, 8-10 FT), 10 rebounds and four assists across 32 minutes during Wednesday's 121-87 loss to the Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Harden struggled badly from the field and finished with more field-goal attempts than points scored, but the star guard somewhat salvaged his fantasy day by putting up decent rebounding numbers. This is a huge stepback for Harden after he scored 45 points in Game 1, and he'll look to deliver a bounce-back performance in Game 3 at home.
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76ers' James Harden: Steps up with 45-point performance
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Harden logged 45 points (17-30 FG, 7-14 3Pt, 4-4 FT), six assists, two steals and one rebound across 39 minutes in Monday's 119-115 victory over the Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
With Joel Embiid (knee) sitting out the series opener, Harden stepped into a more focal role as a scorer and carved up the Celtics with impressive efficiency, with the 45 points tying his playoff career high. He finished the night on a high note, putting up 15 points in the final period alone. If Embiid is able to make his way back into the lineup for Wednesday's Game 2, Harden will likely settle back into more of a facilitator role.
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76ers' James Harden: Strong showing despite ejection
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Harden posted 21 points (8-15 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 2-3 FT), five rebounds and four assists across 29 minutes before getting ejected from Thursday's 102-97 win over Brooklyn in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
Harden played only 29 minutes during Game 3 due to being ejected in the third quarter, but he still managed to finish as one of two 76ers players with 20 or more points while posting a team-high-tying assist total in the win. Harden has tallied at least 20 points in two of the three first-round games thus far.
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76ers' James Harden: Ejected against Brooklyn
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Harden was ejected in the third quarter of Game 3 against the Nets on Thursday after a low blow on Royce O'Neale.
Harden extended his arm and caught O'Neale in a vulnerable area, leading to a Flagrant 2 call and an automatic ejection. Harden finished the night with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and three triples in 29 minutes. A suspension for Game 4 seems unlikely.
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76ers' James Harden: Thrives with double-double
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Harden ended Saturday's 121-101 victory over the Nets in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals with 23 points (8-21 FG, 7-13 3Pt), four rebounds, 13 assists and one steal across 36 minutes.
Harden led the league in assists during the regular season and made sure to continue that excellent playmaking display in the playoffs, as he racked up a strong double-double despite needing 21 shots to score 23 points. With Joel Embiid operating as Philadelphia's main scoring weapon as long as he's available, look for Harden to thrive as an elite playmaker while also being a reliable scorer who should hover around the 20-point mark most of the time.
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76ers' James Harden: Feels great ahead of Game 1
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Harden (Achilles/rest) said he feels "great" ahead of Saturday's Game 1 matchup against Brooklyn, Justin Grasso of SI.com reports.
Harden missed back-to-back games to end the regular season to manage an Achilles issue that cost him four consecutive contests at the end of March. However, as expected, his most recent absences were merely precautionary, and the dynamic point guard should be good to go for playoff action. Across 58 regular-season appearances, Harden averaged 21.0 points, 10.7 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 36.8 minutes per game.
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76ers' James Harden: Out for regular-season finale
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Harden (Achilles/rest) will not play in Sunday's game against the Nets.
Unsurprisingly, the 76ers will give Harden and Joel Embiid (calf/rest) as much time off as possible leading up to the first-round matchup against the Nets. Harden concludes a banged-up 2022-23 campaign averaging 21.0 points, 10.7 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 58 appearances. He missed out on an All-Star appearance for the first time since 2011-12.
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76ers' James Harden: Won't play Friday
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Harden has been ruled out Friday against Atlanta due to left Achilles injury management.
Harden appeared in the last five matchups and averaged 16.6 points, 8.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 35.4 minutes per game. He'll rest for the penultimate game of the regular season, which should lead to increased minutes for Shake Milton.
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76ers' James Harden: Posts another solid performance
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Harden supplied 20 points (7-17 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, 10 assists, two blocks and one steal across 40 minutes during Tuesday's 103-101 victory over the Celtics.
Harden finished with double-digit assists for the seventh time in his last eight contests and reached the 20-point threshold with the help of four made triples. The Arizona State product continues to produce across the board down the stretch of the regular season and is averaging 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 1.6 steals in 39.2 minutes over his last five appearances.
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76ers' James Harden: Subpar results in loss
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Harden had 11 points (4-9 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, six assists and one steal in 34 minutes during Sunday's 117-104 loss to Milwaukee.
Although Harden played 34 minutes, his involvement in the offense was minimal, scoring only 11 points with nine shot attempts. His shot volume and scoring were among his worst totals of the season in those categories, and the All-Star ceded most of the backcourt production to Tyrese Maxey. It's been a mixed bag for Harden since his return from a four-game absence. Since his return, he's averaged 16.3 points, 9.7 assists and 3.8 rebounds with a turnover rate of 4.3 per game.
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76ers' James Harden: Double-double against Mavs
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Harden (Achilles) finished Wednesday's 116-108 victory over Dallas with 15 points (4-14 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 5-7 FT), 12 assists, four rebounds and three steals over 38 minutes.
After missing the prior four games due to Achilles soreness, Harden returned to post his 34th double-double of the season, his best total since 2018-19 and the second-best performance of his career in that category. The 33-year-old isn't the scoring threat he was in his prime, but he still offers plenty of fantasy value, and Harden is averaging 19.8 points, 11.6 assists, 6.8 boards, 2.5 threes and 1.2 steals through 10 games in March.
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76ers' James Harden: Returning vs. Mavs
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Harden (Achilles) will play Wednesday against the Mavericks, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Both Harden and Embiid (calf) will be available Wednesday. Harden is returning from a four-game absence, potentially a needed break since he had gone 6-for-29 in his previous two appearances. The point guard may have his minutes monitored.
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76ers' James Harden: Questionable vs. Mavs
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Harden (Achilles) is questionable for Wednesday's matchup against the Mavericks.
Left Achilles soreness has kept Harden sidelined for four consecutive matchups, leaving De'Anthony Melton to join the starters. If Harden is cleared Wednesday, he could be on a minutes limit. Joel Embiid (calf) is also questionable.
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76ers' James Harden: Out Monday
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Harden (Achilles) has been ruled out for Monday's game in Denver, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Harden was able to get through Monday morning's shootaround and was on target to play, but he must have not felt quite right when going through his pregame routine, so he will now join Joel Embiid (calf) on the sidelines. Per Wojnarowski, Harden is hopeful to return for one of Philadelphia's home games later this week, so for now, he should be considered questionable for Wednesday's game against the Mavericks. De'Anthony Melton should continue to start and Tyrese Maxey is going to be very busy on offense with the 76ers' stars unavailable Monday night.
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76ers' James Harden: Expected to play Monday
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Harden (Achilles) is expected to play Monday against Denver, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Harden went through the morning shootaround and is on track to return from a three-game absence. The 76ers will be without Joel Embiid (calf), so Harden will likely have a ton of usage coming his way.
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76ers' James Harden: Goes through shootaround
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Harden (Achilles), who's officially listed as questionable for Monday's matchup versus Denver, participated in the 76ers' morning shootaround, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Harden has missed three straight games due to left Achilles soreness, but he's trending in the right direction ahead of Monday's contest. However, his official availability likely won't be known until closer to the 9:30 p.m. ET tip. If Harden remains out, De'Anthony Melton figures to draw another start.
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76ers' James Harden: Questionable against Denver
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Harden (Achilles) is questionable for Monday's game against the Nuggets.
Harden has missed the last three games due to left Achilles soreness, but he'll be in the mix to return against Denver. If he's sidelined for the final matchup in the 76ers' road trip, De'Anthony Melton will likely draw another start.
