As a guy who will be eligible for a new contract this summer, Harden also helped to boost his own stock. Harden isn't going to rewrite the entire narrative about his playoff history with one performance, but he was definitely able to chip away at it. Harden's total of 45 was the most points that a Sixers player has scored in a playoff game since Allen Iverson dropped 55 in April of 2003, and the performance was simply one of the best in franchise postseason history. 💪 hydrated by /NayQHCc1lN- Philadelphia 76ers May 2, 2023 Harden maintained that aggressive mindset throughout the game, and he hit a plethora of clutch shots for the Sixers down the stretch, including the go-ahead basket over Al Horford with nine seconds remaining in the game. It was almost like he was trying to send a message to Boston that read: "Yeah, the big fella is out, but I'm still a problem." And a problem he was. He took 10 shots and scored 16 points in that first frame. He came out of the gate extremely aggressively and set the tone for the team. With the league's leading scorer stuck on the sideline, Harden reverted to scoring mode right from the beginning of the game. In fact, the exact opposite occurred, as Harden turned in arguably his best playoff performance ever when his team needed it the most. James Harden has faced his fair share of criticism for underperforming in the postseason in the past, but that wasn't the case on Monday night. The Celtics will now have to regroup and look to bounce back in Game 2 on Wednesday night.īefore moving forward in the series, here's a look at three key takeaways from Philadelphia's memorable Game 1 win. Boston didn't get too much out of the rest of the roster, though. Malcolm Brogdon also added 20 points off of the bench. Jayson Tatum led the way for Boston with 39 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, while Jaylen Brown added 23 points, six rebounds and four assists. De'Anthony Melton also provided a big boost off of the bench with 17 points. Tyrese Maxey dropped 26 points and snagged four steals, and Tobias Harris had 18 points and five rebounds. He hit big shot after big shot for Philadelphia, including seven triples in what was one of the best playoff performances of his entire career. The Beard finished with 45 points, six assists and two steals, and his production propelled the Sixers to victory. James Harden turned the clock back for Philadelphia and showed that he can still be an elite scorer of the highest order after serving as a pass-first guard for the bulk of the season. It's possible that Embiid will be available later in the series, but he wasn't ready for the first game.ĭespite Embiid's absence, the Sixers were able to persevere and pull out an improbable 119-115 victory to start the series. The main storyline heading into the contest was the absence of Sixers center Joel Embiid, who was ruled out of the game with a knee injury that he suffered in the first round against the Brooklyn Nets. The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics kicked off the latest iteration of their storied, contentious rivalry in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday night.
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