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With the playoffs quickly approaching, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers isn’t going to get too worried about an off game from his star guard.
Rivers sounded off on James Harden’s rough game in a 117-104 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on April 2. He scored just 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting in the loss, making just one of three shots from behind the 3-point arc while committing five turnovers.
Ahead of Philadelphia’s game against the Boston Celtics on April 4, Rivers said he’s not dwelling too much on Harden’s poor performance.
“Doc Rivers says he isn’t worried about James Harden’s tough game the other night in Milwaukee,” tweeted Ky Carlin of USA Today’s Sixers Wire. “He cited that it’s one game and Harden has been terrific all season, which is true, and he isn’t gonna overreact to one game.”
Rivers Didn’t Mince Words After Sixers’ Loss
While he may not be too worried about Harden, Rivers wasn’t happy about the team’s performance in Sunday’s loss to the Bucks. He called out the Sixers players after the game, saying they came out flat against the top team in the Eastern Conference.
“I thought they just kicked our butt,” Rivers said after the game, via The Associated Press. “They were more aggressive, they were prepared. They beat us all the way around.”
Rivers has been full of praise for Harden this season, especially the veteran’s willingness to serve as a facilitator on offense rather than a primary scorer. After Harden was snubbed of a spot in the All-Star game, Rivers came to his defense and pointed out the sacrifices he has made for the team.
“The most disappointing part for me,” Rivers told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We’ve asked James Harden to sacrifice for the team, to make the team better. He’s done that and he still has gotten the numbers. That should stand out, and somehow it didn’t.”
James Harden has averaged 21.3 points and 6.2 rebounds in 55 games this season, while dishing out a league-leading 10.9 assists per game. He has also been playing through some pain. After recently missing four games while nursing a sore Achilles, Harden revealed that it has been hurting him for months.
Sixers Getting Healthier in Final Stretch
After both Harden and Joel Embiid missed time over the course of the last two weeks, the stars appear to be getting healthier as the playoffs approach. As Justin Grasso of SI.com’s All 76ers noted, neither player was listed on the injury report ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Boston Celtics.
With the Sixers close to locked into the No. 3 spot — three games behind the Boston Celtics at No. 2 and two-and-a-half ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 4 — Grasso speculated that the team could give their stars more rest over the final four games of the season.
“The good news for the Sixers is that they are starting to get healthier as the postseason arrives,” Grasso wrote. “Will they take it easy and allow key players to begin sitting during the final stretch of the regular season? Or will the 76ers keep on competing?”
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