On May 5, Beijing time, the 2021-22 NBA playoffs were in full swing. In today's East Focus game, the 76ers took on the Heat on the road, the second leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals. In the first leg, the 76ers lost, so today's game was very important to them.
As the first quarter began, Harden quickly caused Butler to make two free throws for fouls, but then Harden missed consecutive shots. In the second half of the quarter, Harden scored a basket and scored 4 points and 2 assists on 1-of-4 shooting in the quarter. After moving into the second quarter, Harden clearly stepped up his personal offense, hitting a three-pointer at the top of the arc and then breaking through the basket to win. In the second half of the quarter, Harden grabbed a rebound and hit the basket, and then shot again. Before the end of the quarter, Harden fouled Oladipo and hit all three free throws.
In the first half, Harden shot 5-of-10, including 1-of-3 from three-point range and 5-of-5 from the free throw line, and had 16 points, three rebounds and five assists. It should be noted that this is the first time hardened that Harden has scored more than 15 points in halftime in this year's playoffs. On the offensive end, he encountered the Heat's crazy blockade, and in one of the offensive rounds, Harden was surrounded by the Heat trio and eventually robbed, which also highlighted Harden's dilemma.
In the third quarter, Harden reduced his personal shots, scoring 2 points and 2 assists on just 1-of-2 shooting, and the 76ers trailed the Heat 80-91 to end the first three quarters of the game. After entering the final finale, Harden deflected all three shots, and then he caused two foul shots. In an offensive round, Harden encountered multiple packages, he thought he had been fouled, but the referee did not say, Harden expressed his dissatisfaction with the referee's anger. The 76ers then trailed behind double-digit points and lost again on the road.
In the end, the 76ers lost to the Heat on the road and trailed their opponents 0-2 in the series. Harden played a total of 41 minutes today, shooting only 6 of 15, including 1 of 5 from three-point range and 7 from the free throw line, totaling just 20 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 turnovers, plus or minus -10. Harden scored four points on just 1-of-5 shooting throughout the second half, and it's clear that that performance won't help the team win.
According to the schedule, the third leg of the two teams will be played on May 7, and the 76ers will return to the home court, when Harden is likely to usher in Embiid's return.