The Philadelphia 76ers ran into a true test against the Phoenix Suns as it was a battle between the number one seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences.
It was a competitive game throughout, but a rough fourth quarter by everybody but Joel Embiid led to the Sixers dropping the game to the NBA-best Suns.
New addition James Harden, somebody who has been very up and down during his short tenure with the Sixers, had an off game. There are some people out there who believe this is a sign of things to come and even argue that Harden disappears in big games with regularity.
While this was a regular season game, there was a sense that this would feel a bit more like a playoff game, and it could even be a potential Finals matchup.
In the loss to the Suns, Harden shot just 2-11 from the floor and finished with 14 points. His superstar counterpart Joel Embiid finished with 37 points and 15 rebounds.
Analyst and former NBA champ Kendrick Perkins responded to a fan on Twitter about Devin Booker winning the MVP award over Embiid, and in his response he took a shot at Harden.
Perkins Sends a Shot
Booker has a growing case for MVP as he’s been the best player on the best team in the league. There are big names around the league and in the media who believe he has a case, including Hall-of-Famer Isiah Thomas.
When it was pointed out to Perkins that Booker and the Suns toppled Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets and now the Sixers in back-to-back games, he doubled down and argued Embiid should still win the award.
“Didn’t Embiid have 37 and 15,” he asked. “He can’t help that James Harden keep disappearing in big games!”
Harden was brought in to Philadelphia to help alleviate the offensive burden Embiid has to shoulder. There are game where it’s clear he’s doing just that, but it has been inconsistent so far.
Is Harden Injured
GettyJames Harden might not be fully healthy.
At the end of his time with the Brooklyn Nets, Harden was missing games due to a hamstring injury, but there was some doubt about it as it was viewed by some as a ploy to get out of Brooklyn.
When the trade happened, Harden continued to miss time and he has already sat out a few games in Philadelphia, which could be an indication that he’s not 100 percent healthy at this point in time.
If the Sixers want to fight for the number one seed in the conference, then they’ll have to keep on playing him. If there is an injury still nagging Harden, then resting him will potentially cause the team to slip further down in the standings. Between the 1st and 4th seeds, there’s a lot of movement that can still happen, so now is not a good time for an injury to pop up.
However, if Philadelphia wants any shot at winning the title this year, they’ll need a healthy Harden to be there.
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