The final time James Harden scored 45 factors in a playoff sport, it was 2015. His Houston Rockets, down three video games to none within the Western Convention finals, had been profitable a house sport for pleasure in opposition to the quickly to be champion Golden State Warriors.
On Monday night time, Harden matched that profession playoff excessive in a way more vital sport.
With the Philadelphia 76ers’ star and N.B.A. scoring champion, Joel Embiid, out with a knee sprain, Harden scored 45 once more, and gave the Sixers an surprising one-game-to-none lead over the higher-seeded Celtics, 119-115, at TD Backyard in Boston.
Factors 43, 44 and 45 had been the largest, approaching a cold 3-pointer whereas intently guarded by Al Horford to provide the 76ers a 117-115 lead with simply over eight seconds left. On the subsequent play, Marcus Sensible of the Celtics threw the ball away in site visitors beneath the basket, and two free throws wrapped it up for Philadelphia.
“I used to be questioning in the event that they had been going to place two on the ball,” Harden mentioned of the potential for a double-team on the go-ahead shot. “It was a one on one. So then I’m wanting up, I’m simply, all proper, that is what I work on day by day. Get the perfect out there shot it doesn’t matter what it’s. Elevate up and shoot it.”
Harden made 17 baskets on 30 pictures, each season highs. He made seven 3-pointers on 14 pictures, additionally each season highs. He additionally had a team-high six assists.
From the primary possession, Harden, 33, took it upon himself to get Philadelphia factors, hitting a 10-foot jumper.
“No matter they gave me, I rose up and took a shot,” Harden mentioned after the sport. “Whether or not it’s a 3, whether or not it’s a floater, whether or not it’s a midrange jumper.”
Requested why there was no double-team on the final shot, Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla mentioned: “That was one among our greatest defenders. He made an enormous shot.”
Paul Reed had 13 rebounds filling in at heart for Embiid. He had a career-high 15 in Recreation 4 of the Sixers’ first-round sweep of the Nets, a sport that Embiid additionally missed.
Going into Monday night time’s sport, the Celtics had been favored not simply within the sequence however to win the N.B.A. title. They had been 9.5-point favorites to win Recreation 1 at dwelling within the absence of Embiid.
Disquietingly for the remainder of the sequence, the Celtics truly performed fairly properly on Monday, hitting 58.7 % of their pictures and outrebounding the 76ers by 10. However they by no means appeared to have the ability to cease Harden.
“Now we have alternatives to bounce again,” a terse Mazzulla mentioned.
After three scoring titles and a Most Precious Participant Award with the Houston Rockets, Harden had constructed a powerful legacy. But it surely was tarnished considerably with an abortive and injury-plagued two seasons with the Nets. When he was traded to the 76ers in early 2022, a lot of the focus was on the Sixers lastly eliminating Ben Simmons slightly on their acquisition of Harden.
Harden has slot in properly as Embiid’s lieutenant in Philadelphia. He led the league in assists per sport this season with 10.7 and averaged 21 factors.
Embiid shot round, however didn’t run on Monday at apply. Coach Doc Rivers mentioned he didn’t know if Embiid would play in Recreation 2 on Wednesday.
For one sport not less than, thanks principally to Harden, the Sixers didn’t want him.
