Getty James Harden and Tyrese Maxey helped the Philadelphia 76ers pick up their first win of the 2022-23 season.
The Philadelphia 76ers have one on the right side of the win-loss column. James Harden and Joel Embiid feasted during a 120-106 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night for the first victory of the year.
They needed to catch up to the immaculate vibes in the city, something not lost on the home crowd which partook in an impromptu Phillies chant at one point. The Sixers have joined the party at 1-3. Finally.
Sixers 120, Pacers 106: 5 Things We Saw
Funky 3-Guard Lineup: Doc Rivers has preached from Day 1 of training camp that he needs to figure out the best lineups to maximize James Harden. The Sixers tried out various combinations against Indiana, including an interesting pairing of Harden and De’Anthony Melton. Those two were meshing late in the second quarter, then Rivers threw Tyrese Maxey into the mix to push the pace with a three-guard rotation around Joel Embiid. It worked. Rivers experimented with a funkier lineup later: Melton, Maxey, Harden, PJ Tucker, Paul Reed.
Joel Embiid Shows His Mean Streak: Joel Embiid made his presence felt early in the first quarter after Aaron Nesmith drove for a dunk and hung on the rim in celebration. Embiid shoved him in the back, like a hockey player would do on a cross-check. The message was clear: not on my court. The 7-footer went into halftime with only 9 points, then came out in a frenzy to start the third. Embiid turned in his most aggressive performance to date, attacking Isaiah Jackson, Goga Bitadze, Terry Taylor, or whichever Pacers big man switched on him. He was looking for contact on every play in the third and usually got it. Embiid had 26 points and 5 boards.
Harden with 13-7-7 and two steals at the half vs. IND. Embiid has 9-3-2 and two blocks. PHI up 64-46.
Harris 10 PTS/6 REB
27 bench points (Melton w/ 11)
Sixers Bench Shows Up: Philadelphia’s bench unit was a big problem through the first three games, all losses. That trend finally ended as the second unit exploded for 36 points, highlighted by De’Anthony Melton (11 points) and Georges Niang (13 points). There was even a Shake Milton sighting — his first minutes of the year. The Melton-Niang duo combined for five 3-pointers. Niang set the tone early when he swished a deep triple to make it 25-19 off a no-look, behind-the-back pass from Harden.
Cheers for TJ: Sixers fans still have a soft spot for T.J. McConnell. The 6-foot-1 point guard heard cheers when he first checked into the game and was serenaded by audible chants of “TJ, TJ, TJ” throughout the game. McConnell spent his first four seasons in Philadelphia before graduating from The University of The Process after the 2018-19 campaign. He finished with 2 points and 2 assists in a losing effort for Indiana.
“boom.”
The Beard Calls Game. The Pacers cut the lead to 103-95, then Harden called game. He had seen enough. He hit back-to-back triples and sent Wells Fargo Center into pandemonium after the second one stretched the lead back to double digits (109-95) at the 5:20 mark. He left his hand up in the air for a minute and stood there, freeze frame. Harden gave a knowing glance to the fans seated in the front row. Triple-double: 29 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists.
Doc Rivers: “We want to add another guy to the rotation, and tonight it was Shake (Milton).”
Rivers says Milton is “probably the guy ahead” for the final spot for now based on training camp.