The Philadelphia 76ers looked dead in the water at home on Friday night. They trailed the Los Angeles Clippers by 20 points in a big step up in competition from recent matchups. They haven’t seen a team like the Clippers and they looked dazed and confused.
Instead of folding and taking a loss, they dug deep and rallied to win it 119-114. The Sixers completed a very impressive 7-0 homestand and they are now sitting at 19-12 after a very terrible start to the season. It now sets up a very big showdown on Christmas with the rival New York Knicks.
James Harden had a helluva night by going for 20 points, a career-high 21 assists, and 11 rebounds for Philadelphia. The 21 assists tie a franchise record for most in a game with Mo Cheeks and Wilt Chamberlain.
Of course, Joel Embiid had a big game with 44 points with seven rebounds and NBA Twitter was set ablaze with their reactions after the win.
James Harden has a career-high 18 assists. He’s two rebounds away from his first triple-double of the season.
Sixers have turned a 20-point deficit into an eight-point lead here early in the fourth.
— Noah Levick (@NoahLevick) December 24, 2022
James Harden is still elite. For so many years they acted as if he’s “just a scorer” (scoring is the most important thing to be anyways) not realizing he is one of the top playmakers of all time.
— Ball Don’t Stop (@balldontstop) December 24, 2022
Most assists in a game in 76ers franchise history
James Harden: 21 (Tonight)
Maurice Cheeks: 21 (Oct. 30, 1982)
Wilt Chamberlain: 21 (Feb. 2, 1968)
— Josh Schrager (@Schragz) December 24, 2022
James Harden:
– 20 Points
– 21 Assists
– 11 ReboundsJoel Embiid:
– 44 points
– 3 Assists
– 7 ReboundsW against the LA Clips. This @sixers squad is absolutely ROLLING. LFG. pic.twitter.com/x1Ows68k72
— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) December 24, 2022
James Harden ties the single-game franchise record with 21 assists and puts up a triple-double (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Joel Embiid scores 44. Sixers have a perfect homestand capped by their most impressive win of the season.
— Paul Hudrick (@PaulHudrick) December 24, 2022
Sixers won 119-114. They did it coming back from 20 points, playing perhaps their best half of the season considering the opponent. They are 19-12 after finishing off a 7-0 homestand.
Joel Embiid: 44 points on 18-30 from the field
James Harden: 20 points and 21 assists
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) December 24, 2022
The only players averaging 3 made 3s and 1.5 steals per game in December:
James Harden (3.0 3pg, 1.5 spg)
De’Anthony Melton (3.5 3pg, 2.1 spg) pic.twitter.com/KmkXYAxWT1— Fastbreak Breakfast (@fastbreakbreak) December 24, 2022
.