James Harden had a subpar 14-point performance on an awful 18.2% shooting from the field as the Sixers suffered a 114-104 loss to the red hot Phoenix Suns.
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Sunday night’s clash between the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers was a battle between the best teams of each of the conferences. As expected, the action-packed bout witnessed a huge total of 23 lead changes and 6 ties. However, after 48 minutes of well-fought basketball, it was Devin Booker and co. who grabbed a huge 10-point win, extending their win streak to 8 games.
Booker, who has been playing like an MVP contender lately, had a huge 35-point performance while shooting 13-22 from the field. Chris Paul, who played his second game since coming back from an injury, had an impressive 19-point, 14-assist double-double.
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In a valiant effort, Joel Embiid had a dominant game as he dropped 37 points, pulled down 15 rebounds (7 offensive rebounds), 3 steals, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. And James Harden having a horrendous night was one of the biggest reasons why the Sixers sustained this loss at the Footprint Center.
Shannon Sharpe blames the Sixers’ loss on James Harden
The Beard has been doing a solid job for the Sixers ever since his arrival. Sure, his numbers did go down from what he was averaging for the Nets earlier this season, but he still had a positive impact on the team.
Calling Harden’s tonight’s performance bad will be a massive understatement. The 2018 MVP scored 14 points, dished out 9 assists, and grabbed 7 rebounds. Yes, this stat line seems pretty normal. But wait till you see his inefficiency from the game – 2-11 from the field, 2 turnovers, and a plus-minus of -16.
Analyst Shannon Sharpe didn’t hold back as he went on to pin the blame on Harden for Philly’s loss. Replying to a Twitter user, Sharpe wrote how JoJo had a great game, and that it was James Harden who “kept disappearing in big games”.
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With the top 4 Eastern Conference teams all 0.5 games behind each other, the Sixers fall from the #1 seed to the 4th position with this one loss. Having 8 games still remaining before the regular season ends, and a fairly easy schedule, the Sixers will get their shot to enter the postseason as the best team in the East. However, in order for that to happen, Embiid and co. will hope for James Harden to step up big time.
