The 76ers fought against the Heat
The Miami Heat, the first in the East, once again showed a strong defense on the playoff stage. Trae Young was miserable in the first round of the playoffs. Now it's the philadelphia 76ers' turn for James Harden, who, in the face of the constant entanglement of his old teammate Tucker, harden only handed over 5-of-13 shooting, 16 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in the first game of the series. With the 76ers wanting to win without Embiid, there's no doubt James Harden needs to do more.
Facing former teammate PJ Tucker, and Tyler Hiro, the chip that the Heat did not want to give when they wanted to get Harden, James Harden had no reason not to prove himself. Before Embiid's return, if he can help the team win a victory, it will undoubtedly be an exciting thing. But can Harden do it today?
Maxi ushered in an outbreak
At the beginning of the first quarter, Butler showed the style of a star, with 6 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists, which was a good tandem with the team. Of course, this also reflects how good the Heat's shooting rate is, and the team's 31 points in a single quarter is the best evidence. As for the 76ers, only 24 points were scored, of which Harden shot 1-of-4, with only 4 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists. After returning from the second quarter, Harden exploded, shooting 4-of-6, with 12 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists in the single quarter, and Maxi also had 6 points and 1 steal.
Harden and Maxie have been so good, but the Heat are still extending their lead. Hiro also had 11 points, five rebounds and one assist on 3-of-5 shooting, leading the Heat to an eight-point lead of the 76ers at halftime. In the second half, Maxie also found a crosshair, 4 of 6 shots, got 13 points, 1 rebound and 1 steal, Harden only had 2 shots, it was 2 points and 2 assists, Butler stepped forward again, 12 points and 3 assists on 4-of-7 shooting, leading the Heat to successfully widen the point difference to 11 points.
In the last quarter of the game, the score difference always hovers around ten. Harden tried to carry the team, but the middle distance did not advance, the retreat step three points did not, on the contrary, the Heat side, directly played a wave of 10-0 small climax, successfully opened the point difference to 18 points, the game will completely lose suspense. Harris scored consecutive points, hitting 2 three-pointers to make a 2+1, but it was too late. In the end, the Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-103 to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Harden needs to recognize reality
Harden shot 6-of-15, 76ers lost 2 games in a row! Audi was threatened in the final quarter, and Maxy scored 34 points. The Philadelphia 76ers lost again, and what was more sad than losing two games in a row was that in this game, Maxi bombed 34 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals, Harris also had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals, both of them were good enough, but Harden, 6 of 15 shots, only 20 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists, 5 of 3-pointers, plus 3 turnovers and 3 fouls, the 76ers started the Five Tigers only 4 fouls in this game.
It has to be said that Harden must also recognize the reality, even if Embiid is not there, he is not the best player on the team and cannot help the team to get a victory. Now all the hopes of the 76ers can only be pinned on embiid's comeback. On the Heat side, Butler had 22 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists, Adebayo also had 23 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists, Hiro on the bench had 28 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, and Oladipo had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist, of which 10 points and 2 rebounds in the last quarter became the key to the team's victory.