Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid officially clinched the scoring title Sunday after the Milwaukee Bucks ruled out Giannis Antetokounmpo for the team's season finale versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid wins the 2021-22 NBA scoring title, the first center to lead the league in scoring since Shaquille O’Neal in 1999-2000.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 10, 2022

Coach Bud just said none of the doubtful players will play against the #Cavs tonight ⬇️

No Giannis, no Brook, no Khris, no Bobby. https://t.co/8sTKEnvpgb

— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) April 10, 2022

Embiid is currently averaging 30.6 points per game, just ahead of Giannis (29.9 PPG). LeBron James averaged 30.3 points per game for the Los Angeles Lakers this season but didn't play enough games to be eligible for the scoring title, leaving him out of the running. 

That a center won the scoring title in a modern game that emphasizes floor spacing and versatile guards and wings, and deemphasized post play, is all the more impressive. 

"First scoring title for a center since Shaq in 2000" is impressive, but it should also be noted that Embiid is just the fourth to do it since 1980, and 2 of previous 3 years happened during Jordan's mid-career retirement (after which he came back and immediately won 3 straight)

— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) April 10, 2022

Embiid is also the first center to average over 30 points per game since Moses Malone in 1981-82.

The scoring title will be one of the pillars of Embiid's MVP case, with the veteran big man in the running for the award alongside Antetokounmpo and Denver's Nikola Jokic. But he's also averaged 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 blocks per game, shooting 49.9 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from three and 81.4 percent from the free-throw line. 

Embiid also anchors Philly's defense, serving as one of the game's better rim protectors. Add it all up, and the big man believes he should be considered the league's best player this season. 

"If it happens, great," he told reporters earlier this week. "If it doesn't, I don't know what I have to do. I'll feel like they hate me. I feel like the standard for guys in Philly or for me is different than everyone else."

It would be hard to knock MVP voters for siding with either Jokic or Antetokounmpo—both have had absurdly good seasons. But it's hard to ignore the historically good season Embiid has had, and he would be one of the harder-luck MVP runners-up in recent memory if he doesn't take home the award. 

If nothing else, however, the scoring title is his.

James Harden brushed off what has been a somewhat unconvincing start with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 2017-18 MVP finished with 22 points and 14 assists as Philadelphia beat the Indiana Pacers 133-120 on Saturday. He told reporters after the game he's "one of the most confident players" in the NBA on offense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEvAddr8YlE

"I know that I'm not making shots," he said. "But I'm one of the most confident players we have in this league because I put the work in. It is what it is. It's a part of the game. … [I'll] continue to work my [butt] off. Ain't no other choice. Ain't no time to feel sorry for nobody, feel sorry for myself."

Harden went 7-of-16 from the field but missed seven of his nine three-point attempts.

From a Philly perspective, there was some hope that a change of scenery might help the 32-year-old rediscover his typical efficiency. In 44 games with the Brooklyn Nets, he shot 41.4 percent overall and 33.2 percent from three, both of which were below his career averages prior to 2021-22 (44.4 FG%; 36.3 3P%).

However, the trend has continued with the Sixers. Harden's field-goal percentage (40.2) and three-point percentage (32.6) since joining Philadelphia would both represent career lows.

Beyond the pure numbers, there's a growing sense the 10-time All-Star simply may not be the same player he was even toward the end of his run with the Houston Rockets.

Harden can not beat bigs on the switch anymore. He has no burst, quickness or ability to finish at the rim anymore. At this point he’s feast or famine depending on if his step back 3 is falling. Dude is #LarryHolmesStatus. I really don’t even think the 76ers can resign him

— Raheem Palmer (@iamrahstradamus) April 8, 2022

If you didn’t know who he was and you’d only watched Harden this year you would never believe me if I told you he averaged 34.3 points per game two seasons ago.

— Mike O'Connor (@MOConnor_NBA) April 8, 2022

Given Harden's spotty track record in the playoffs, there's no guarantee that playing on the big stage of the postseason suddenly makes everything click.

It's obviously way too early to make any firm judgments about the Sixers' decision to acquire Harden and give up Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks in the process. And things could be going much worse than they are now.

But to this point, Philadelphia hasn't gotten much clarity as to whether Harden can meaningfully help the franchise chase a title, or whether handing him a massive long-term extension is a safe enough bet.

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated Rick Carlisle's Indiana Pacers 133-120 on Saturday behind a 41-point performance from MVP candidate Joel Embiid, and while speaking with reporters after the game, the head coach lauded the veteran big man. 

"We haven’t seen a guy like this in the history of the league who has this kind of power and skill," Carlisle said. "He's able to score on all three levels effortlessly. He's an amazing player, and it will be interesting to see what teams do in the playoffs to try to slow him down."

This isn't the first time Carlisle has commented on how dangerous Embiid can be. Back in 2017 when he was coaching the Dallas Mavericks, he joked that the big man is so good that showing film of him to his team could be dangerous.

"You have to be careful what you show in pregame edits, or you might scare the s--t out of your team," Carlisle said at the time.

Embiid also had 20 rebounds and four assists against the Pacers. It marked his third 40-plus-point performance over the last week. He scored 44 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday and 45 against the Pacers on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old also made history Saturday by becoming the first center to average at least 30 points per game since Moses Malone accomplished the feat in 1982. 

Joel Embiid has officially become the first center to average 30 PPG in a season since Moses Malone in 1982. Some notable career-highs from those who never got there:

Robinson: 29.8 (93-94)
Shaq: 29.7 (99-00)
Ewing: 28.6 (89-90)
Hakeem: 27.8 (94-95)
Duncan: 25.5 (01-02) https://t.co/UjRJx2wlZO

— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) April 9, 2022

Embiid has improved in each of his NBA seasons, but the 2021-22 campaign has seen him reach a new level. He entered Saturday's game averaging 30.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 blocks while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor and 36.5 percent from deep in 67 games.

The Sixers will need Embiid to be just as potent in the postseason, though there's no question that he'll be the best player on the court against whichever team Philadelphia plays in the first round. 

During the 2021 playoffs, Embiid averaged 28.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 blocks while shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and 39.0 percent from deep in 11 games. Considering the Sixers have a more experienced Tyrese Maxey and added superstar guard James Harden, Embiid is primed to have his best postseason yet. 

The Sixers will end the 2021-22 regular season Sunday against the Detroit Pistons. They sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 50-31 record and could move to third with a win and a Boston Celtics loss. 

The Philadelphia 76ers are in the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.

Philadelphia clinched a postseason berth Sunday with a 112-108 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. A 44-point performance from Joel Embiid helped the Sixers hold off a late push from the Cavs.

This was a different route to the playoffs for the Sixers than it was in the previous four years.

All of the headlines coming into the season revolved around Ben Simmons' future with the team. The three-time All-Star requested a trade in August during a meeting with Sixers management.

It took until the Feb. 10 trade deadline, but Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey took advantage of James Harden's unhappiness with the Brooklyn Nets to add the former NBA MVP in a blockbuster trade involving Simmons.

Even before the trade was made, Philadelphia was firmly in playoff contention thanks to Embiid.

Embiid remains the center around whom everything works. He is having an MVP-caliber season, entering Sunday averaging 30.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 49.4 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from deep.

Tyrese Maxey is in the midst of a breakout season as the starting point guard. The second-year standout entered Sunday putting up 17.2 points and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 41.6 percent from three-point range. And Matisse Thybulle has solidified himself as one of the best wing defenders in the NBA.

After missing eight straight games with a hamstring injury, Harden's debut for the 76ers was a massive success. He dropped 27 points and dished out 12 assists in a 133-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 25.

James played Hard(en) last night. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hRebofdTnY

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 26, 2022

"That was probably the most wide-open I've ever been in my career," Embiid joked with reporters after that game, in which he scored 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Bringing in Harden is supposed to be the next step in the process for a 76ers team that is trying to get over the hump in the playoffs.

The Sixers haven't advanced past the Eastern Conference Semifinals in each of the past four seasons. Two of those losses came in Game 7s, including the Kawhi Leonard buzzer-beater against the Toronto Raptors in 2019 and the Atlanta Hawks series in 2021 that marked the unofficial end of Simmons' tenure in Philadelphia.

Even though Morey had to sacrifice some of Philadelphia's depth in the Harden trade, including sending Seth Curry to Brooklyn, this roster is set up to make a deep playoff run on the strength of having two of the best players in the NBA.

The last time the 76ers reached the Eastern Conference Finals was during the 2000-01 season. They beat the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

It remains to be seen whether this team can have the same run as that squad, but all of the pieces are in place for a special postseason in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid will miss Monday night's matchup with the Miami Heat with back soreness, per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

What's more, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported James Harden will miss the game to help his left hamstring recover.

The Sixers are on the second half of a back-to-back after losing to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. Embiid had been questionable for each of the team's last three games following the Sixers' loss to the Denver Nuggets last Monday.

When healthy, the 28-year-old has been arguably the best player in the league this season.

Embiid averaged 28.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steals per game last season as an All-NBA second-team selection. It was the third time he was given such recognition.

He has followed up with an NBA-leading 29.8 points per game to go along with 11.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest in 2021-22 as an MVP candidate.

While the 76ers cannot feasibly replicate Embiid's impact while he's sidelined, look for DeAndre Jordan, Paul Millsap and perhaps Paul Reed to handle the center position Monday night.

As for Harden, he averaged 22.4 points, 10.5 assists, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in his first 11 games since joining Philadelphia in the trade that sent Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets.

His absence could mean an even bigger night of responsibilities for Tyrese Maxey.

The memes of James Harden's club habits apparently do not match the reality.

 Danny Green came to his new Sixers teammate's defense during an appearance on the Ryen Russillo Show, calling him a "workaholic" and downplaying Harden's partying ways.

"You hear a lot of the stories about Harden like, he likes to party, he likes to do this and that...it's not really true," Green said (20-minute mark). "It's not like he's a partier—he's not out there like that. He is in the gym. He's in the gym, probably overdoing it a lot of times...he's a workaholic. I did not know that about him."

That said, it's not like his reputation as a partier is completely unearned. We all saw the footage of him partying with Lil Baby in Las Vegas when the Houston Rockets were in training camp during the height of a global pandemic. More recently, he was out on the town in Miami with Sixers teammates Georges Niang and Tyrese Maxey last week.

The man loves to have a good time.

That said, you don't become future Hall of Famer with an MVP trophy on your mantle without also being an incredibly hard worker. Harden is perhaps the most motivated he's been in his entire career, having forced a pair of trades in as many seasons and alienating fanbases along the way—all in the name of chasing the championship that has eluded him.

He has to know he's not the most beloved NBA player at this juncture of his career; Philadelphia represents a chance to change the narrative. If Harden and Joel Embiid can lead the Sixers to an NBA championship, they're Philly royalty for life.

As long as Harden's able to continue performing at an All-Star level, there's nothing wrong with him unwinding after a game; we don't police the off-hours activities of any other profession. 

Green and Harden's Sixers teammates seem more than satisfied with his work habits so far, and the results have shown on the floor. The Sixers entered Thursday 5-0 in games Harden has started since his arrival. 

Ever since the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers engineered the biggest blockbuster trade of this NBA season, much of the talk has centered around how Sixers newcomer James Harden would mesh with Joel Embiid, and more specifically how that particular pairing would impact this year’s title chase.

As important as their play will be to Philly’s chances at an NBA title, it’s another Sixers player, Tobias Harris, who will be the tipping point in this team’s quest for a title now and next year.

Prior to the February 10 trade deadline, Harris was among the players talked about as potentially being on the move, often linked with being part of a trade along with Ben Simmons. For now, Harris’ play will be a critical piece in what Sixers’ brass believes is a team that’s built to win it all, now.

The trade has worked out pretty well thus far for Philadelphia. In the five games played with Harden and Harris on the floor, Philadelphia has emerged victorious in each game.

But even with a good start that could result in Philly’s first NBA title since 1983, league executives are convinced the Sixers will be actively looking to move on from Harris this summer.

“It’s not that Tobias is a bad player; far from it,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “But that contract. He’s basically making max-player money as the team’s fourth option behind James, Joel and (Tyrese) Maxey.”

When Harris was traded to Philadelphia from the Los Angeles Clippers at the 2019 trade deadline, he was viewed as that much-needed shooter the Sixers were desperately looking for to pair with Embiid and Simmons. His scoring took a slight dip in Philly from 20.9 to 18.2 points per game, as did his three-point shooting (43.4 to 32.6 percent). But his floor-spacing potential was intriguing to a franchise that desperately wanted another wing scorer to complement Embiid and Simmons.

So Philadelphia rolled the dice and signed him to a five-year, $180 million contract. When the Sixers hired Doc Rivers—Harris' former coach with the Clippers—it wasn’t a stretch to believe that they would soon get the best Harris had to offer. Under Rivers in Los Angeles, Harris was his best version.

But Harris hasn't met expectations consistent with what a max or near-max-salaried player earns.

Of course, the very reason the Sixers will look to move him this summer—his contract—is the same hindrance to getting a deal done. The 6'8" wing has two years and $76.9 million remaining on the five-year, $180 million deal he signed prior to the 2019-2020 season.

It doesn’t help that Harris, 29, isn’t getting any younger at the same time his overall game statistically is trending in the wrong direction. This season, he is averaging 17.9 points, his lowest scoring average since 2016-17 when he was in Detroit (16.1 points per game while starting just 48 times).

A career 36.5 percent shooter from three-point range, Harris has made just 33.5 percent of his threes this season, and that number is actually better than how he had been shooting for most of the year.

His age and contract alone make him a difficult sell. He's still viewed as a good player, but not one that’s worth a near-max contract when someone with a slightly lower ceiling as a scorer could be acquired at a significantly smaller cap hit.

In the 10 games since the trade deadline passed, Harris has scored below his 17.9 points-per-game average in all but one game. In that span, he has averaged 12.4 points per night, shooting 50-of-122 (41.0 percent) from the field and 10-of-35 (28.6 percent)—both well below his season and career numbers.

However, you can’t ignore that despite the underwhelming numbers Harris has posted, the Sixers are still winning games when he’s on the floor.

Philadelphia has won eight of its last 10 games. And in the wins, the 76ers are plus-93 with Harris on the floor. In the two losses, they’re minus-50.

So the thought that he has a negative impact on the team’s success isn’t the issue.

More to the point, can Philly get comparable production from another player or players and do so in a way that provides added flexibility to spend in other areas of need?

NBA scouts and executives anticipate things will remain relatively quiet on Harris’ future between now and the playoffs. But there will come a point in the offseason when the Sixers will have to address it.

Until then, they'll focus on trying to get more out of all their players, Harris included.

The addition of Harden should, offensively at least, be a positive for Harris. You don’t have to look far to find players who will vouch for the benefits of playing with Harden. Shortly after being released by the Los Angeles Lakers, veteran center DeAndre Jordan signed with the 76ers in part to play with Harden again (the two were teammates in Brooklyn last season).

"I mean, for a big, or anybody trying to get easy baskets, he's the best guy to play with," Jordan said during his introductory press conference in Philly. "He's so unselfish when it comes to passing and getting guys open and getting other guys going because he can get himself going at any point in time."

The addition of Harden should create more scoring opportunities for Harris. But he is gradually falling back to the pack behind Embiid, Harden and Maxey in terms of shot distribution.

In the last 10 games, Harris has averaged 12.2 shots. During the same span, Maxey is getting 13.4 shot attempts per outing.

Harris' future is not one of the more pressing concerns for the Sixers now. But his status is important because who Harden plays with will go far in determining the likelihood of the Sixers’ title hopes and the chances of Harden sticking around longer than he did in Brooklyn.

The addition of Harden, regardless of how the wins are stacking up, is a good thing for Philadelphia.

But is it good for Harris?

Doc Rivers may not have loved the months-long saga that led to the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers becoming bitter rivals, but he recognizes it's good for the league as a whole.

"I don't like how, let's say, this rivalry was started," Rivers told reporters Wednesday. "I'll pass on all that, let me put it that way. But I love when there's rivalries. I love when there's teams that are in the same conference that want to play each other and go after each other. That's all good."

James Harden went from beloved to despised in the course of a few weeks among Nets fans, while Ben Simmons did the same over a course of months among Sixers fans before the two All-Stars swapped locales at the February deadline.

Simmons is yet to make his debut for the Nets amid a back injury but will travel with the team to Philadelphia for what's assuredly going to be a raucous chorus of boos at Wells Fargo Center.

The trade has already proved fruitful for the Sixers, who are 5-0 in games started by Harden and Joel Embiid since the deadline.

Harden has looked rejuvenated since forcing his second trade in as many seasons, averaging 24.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 12.4 assists while shooting 53.1 percent in a Sixers uniform. He looks like a completely different player than the one who moped around on the floor late in his Nets tenure.

"It's fine. It makes for good stories. It makes for good narratives and good buildup for our league," Kyrie Irving told reporters about the impending Harden matchup. "It's never too personal, but we understand as competitors we want to win the game. But it's not about us and any individual matchups. It's about being a great team and building on what we set out to do."

Irving's status as a part-time player, caused by his refusal to comply with New York City's COVID-19 vaccination mandate, has caused a strain on the Nets all season. Harden said Irving's vaccination status played a "very minimal" role in his request for a trade but admitted it did impact the Nets' performance on a night-to-night basis.

The focus would have been much brighter on Simmons if he were in the lineup, but it's likely the crowd won't be able to pay much attention to him after the ball tips. Philadelphia as a whole may have to wait until next season to truly allow its full feelings to be known.

Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Miami Heat due to scheduled management of left hamstring injury, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The 32-year-old was ruled out through the All-Star break while he rehabbed the hamstring ailment. He's had multiple instances in which he was forced to miss time with hamstring tightness this season, and he also sat out with a knee hyperextension at one point.

The Sixers acquired Harden, along with Paul Millsap, from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and a pair of first-round picks at this year's NBA trade deadline.

When healthy, Harden is one of the best offensive players in the league. The 10-time All-Star has long displayed the propensity for triple-doubles thanks to his ability to decimate opponents with both his scoring and distribution.

Harden has raised his level of play in four games with the Sixers, averaging 26.8 points, 12.0 assists, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 three-pointers made and 1.5 steals, while shooting 59.2 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from deep.

With the Arizona State alum out Saturday, Sixers second-year guard Tyrese Maxey will remain in a prominent offensive role. He made a huge jump in his sophomore season from averaging 8.0 points per game to 17.6 points in 54 starts this year.

Harden's absence also likely means more playing time in the backcourt for Shake Milton and Matisse Thybulle, while Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris will be tasked with carrying much of the offensive load as well.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has traveled a long and winding professional road in his eight years in town, which have featured many ups and downs.

The arrow is clearly pointing up now, and after the 76ers' 123-108 home win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday, Embiid discussed some of those trials and tribulations when asked if he represents the team's culture at the moment.

Of note, he referenced the Jerry Colangelo burner account saga when discussing the drama he's been through since arriving on the scene in 2014.

Joel Embiid on being asked if he’s been the #Sixers’ culture said. “I’ve been through a lot. I’ve been through a lot. Whether you talk about freaking GMs using burner accounts and talking trash on their players….” pic.twitter.com/TuZyHqVkiG

— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) March 3, 2022

The 76ers and their former general manager parted ways in 2018 after an independent investigation revealed that Colangelo's wife, Barbara, operated numerous Twitter burner accounts that lobbed criticisms at players (including Embiid) and others and divulged sensitive information. Colangelo denied knowledge of the burner accounts.

The investigation was in reaction to a report from Ben Detrick of The Ringer, who provided a lengthy breakdown of everything that went down.

Embiid has seen three basketball operations leaders (Sam Hinkie, Colangelo and Daryl Morey), two coaches (Brett Brown, Doc Rivers) and a host of teammates that have seemingly gone in and out of a revolving door over the past eight years. Embiid himself sat for two years because of a lingering right foot injury and was on a minutes restriction in 2016-17 to start his career.

The 76ers appear to have a good core now, though, with James Harden acting as Embiid's new running mate along with a solid supporting cast including Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle.

Everything is looking great for the 76ers as Embiid and Harden led the 38-23 team to its fourth straight win Wednesday. They are now just two games out of first in the Eastern Conference.