James Harden era off and running for Sixers after impressive debut in rout of T'wolves
James Harden's résumé and the 15 days between being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers and playing in his first game created extremely high fan expectations for his debut Friday night.
And Harden didn't disappoint in a 133-102 road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, finishing with 27 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field (5-of-7 on 3-pointers), to go along with 12 assists and eight rebounds in 35 minutes. He had a game-best plus-minus figure of +35.
Second in the NBA this season with an average of 10.2 assists, Harden seemed content to try to get his teammates involved more than look for his own scoring opportunities. Perhaps his best assist was a no-look pass to a cutting Tyrese Maxey for a layup midway through the second quarter.
"I can be a playmaker," Harden said. "I can be a scorer (and) just take the shots when I need to."
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The left-handed Harden's first basket came on his first shot 3:17 into the game. He beat Anthony Edwards with a left-to-right crossover dribble and converted a driving layup and the accompanying free throw. Another highlight in his 17-point first half on six field goal attempts was swishing a stepback 3-pointer in the final minute of the second quarter, along with the ensuing foul shot.
Star center Joel Embiid, the NBA's leading scorer with a 29.6 average, continued to flourish with 34 points and 10 rebounds. Embiid went 11-for-13 from the free-throw line, and Harden was 8-of-9 from the line.
"I thought they (Harden and Embiid) worked great together — played off of each other," said Sixers coach Doc Rivers.
"That was probably the most wide-open I've ever been in my career," Embiid marveled. "... I've never had this."
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Impressive debuts are nothing new for Harden, who had a triple-double (32 points, 14 assists, 12 rebounds) in his Brooklyn Nets debut 13 months ago, while putting up 37, 12 and six in his Houston Rockets debut 9½ years ago.
Acquired in a Feb. 10 blockbuster trade from the Nets, Harden is a 10-time All-Star selection and the 2017-18 league MVP. He hadn't played in a game since Feb. 2 because of left hamstring tightness.
"I haven't been on the court for so long." Harden said. "... Tonight was a great start, but we got a long way to go."
Here are three more takeaways from Harden's debut:
Figuring it out
Rivers said he plans to have at least two of these four starters — Harden, Embiid, Maxey, Tobias Harris — "always on the floor ... by the time we need it to be." That means he wants it in place by the playoffs, which follow the final 23 games of the regular season for the 36-23 Sixers.
On Friday, Rivers went with four-reserve lineups occasionally, such as late in the first quarter when Harden was on the floor with a bunch of backups.
The coach substituted Furkan Korkmaz and Georges Niang for Harden and Harris seven minutes into the game, then Danny Green replaced Matisse Thybulle. When Paul Millsap spelled Embiid, Maxey was the lone starter until Harden replaced him.
To start the second period, Rivers utilized Harden, Harris and three bench players. Later in the quarter, he went with a small lineup featuring Maxey, Harden and Shake Milton.
Rivers opted for an all-reserve group briefly late in the third period while holding a 24-point lead, then brought Harris back in for Niang to close out the quarter.
"We went with the rotation we wanted overall," said Rivers, noting foul trouble forced him to alter some combinations.
For starters
Rivers called upon defensive ace Thybulle as the fifth starter against Minnesota, but he could see that changing depending on the opponent.
"The fifth guy can rotate," Rivers said. "We wouldn't be the only team that did that."
The other most likely option is veteran Green, who is a better shooter than Thybulle but not at Thybulle's level on defense. Niang could be a possibility if the Sixers, who visit the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon, are facing a bigger team.
Living at the line
With Embiid and Harden, who are first and fourth in free throw attempts this season, Sixers games are going to take a little longer than they did prior to Harden's arrival. They took 16 foul shots in the opening quarter Friday on the way to a total of 36 (making 30).
Follow Tom Moore on Twitter @TomMoorePhilly.