James Harden Becomes the Highest Scoring 76er in Playoffs Since Allen Iverson in Joel Embiid’s Absence

Without Joel Embiid nobody expected the Sixers to be anyway near the Celtics in Game 1. They were 1-3 against Cs in the regular season with him in the line-up. However, James Harden forgot to read that memo and went off for the best individual performance by a 76er since Allen Iverson.

It was looking like a sure win for the Celtics when they led by 12 with only 5 minutes remaining in the game. But thanks to The Beard and Jayson Tatum and Co’s turnovers, the Sixers made a comeback and won Game 1 119-115 and silenced TD Garden.

James Harden makes multiple records in a playoff game without Joel Embiid

What a time it was to show up for the 10x All-Star and shine when the team’s MVP frontrunner was out with an injury. And Harden didn’t fold but took it to the fullest with 45 points, 6 assists, 2 steals, and a rebound in under 40 minutes.

He did not just become the highest Playoffs scorer for the Sixers since Allen Iverson, he also beat his own playoff-high and passed Ray Allen for the most 3-pointers in Playoffs (4th) with his 7 threes in the game.

Thanks to the breakdown by Keerthika Utahayakumar of TSN Sports for getting our attention to it.

Oh, and how can we forget about just 4 free throw attempts by Harden in the game? That has him tied for the least FT attempt for a 40-point game in an NBA game. Insane.