With presumed MVP Joel Embiid announced as inactive just hours before tip at the TD Garden, the Sixers turned to James Harden to pick up a lot of the lost production. He answered the call with authority, scoring a playoff career-best 45 points on 17-30 shooting, including 15 in the fourth.
James Harden’s best playoff game ever saves the Sixers without Joel Embiid
Plus: Suns’ offense can’t find its footing in Denver
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Tyrese Maxey ended up as the number two guy for the Sixers; he scored 26 points and grabbed four (!!!) steals. Because of the Embiid injury, Philly was forced to play “B-Ball Paul” Reed, and he did a very respectable job, finishing with 10 points and 13 rebounds in his 37 minutes while netting a +8 for his squad.
Sixers are now 2-0 when playing without Embiid compared to the 3-0 mark with him. We could be watching Philly take the next step right in front of our very eyes. Their first priority will be getting game 3 at Wells Fargo Center on Friday at 10 p.m.
Nuggets stay perfect at Ball Arena following 97-87 win over Suns
After a 34-point, nine-assist game 1, the Suns did a much better job defensively to make Jamal Murray’s life harder, holding him to just 10 points on 3-15 shooting, but Nikola Jokic had 39 points on 17-30, so Denver was able to overcome Murray’s shortcomings.
The sputtering Suns offense appears to be in total disarray after Kevin Durant’s abysmal shooting night (24 points on 10-27 FG, 2-12 3P), Chris Paul’s groin tightness, and the bench’s complete inability to make a three (combined 0-9 from deep). Speaking of threes, it was easy to tell that three-point volume was a big point of emphasis for the Suns’ gameplan, especially given the mere 23 attempts in game 1. They finished 6-31 as a team from deep following an 0-7 start in the first quarter, where they forced it a little too much.
Trailing by five near the end of the third, Denver nearly doubled the scoring output of Phoenix in the final frame, closing on a 29-14 run. While the Nuggets successfully protected homecourt in the first two games and are now 5-0 at home in these playoffs, the Suns now have a chance to protect their homecourt with game 3 tipping off Friday at 10 p.m.
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