Sixers vs. Hornets takeaways: Joel Embiid cooks up another victory; James Harden shows how he can be best utilized
It took the big guy pouring in points, but his job was made easier when other Sixers were energetically contributing in many ways, including scoring.
The 76ers are unbeatable when Joel Embiid scores 42 or more points.
Montrezl Harrell brought great energy. And James Harden and Embiid gave a glimpse of what their All-NBA tandem could look like.
Below is my look at three things that stood out during Sunday’s 131-113 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at the Wells Fargo Center.
Carrying Sixers to victories
The Sixers (14-12) improved to 3-0 when Embiid has scored at least 42 points. They routed the Hornets thanks in large part to his game-high 53 points along with 12 rebounds and one block.
» READ MORE: Dominant scoring nights are becoming routine for Sixers’ Joel Embiid
Embiid scored 42 points in a 121-109 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 12. The next night, he scored a career-high 59 points to lead the Sixers to a 105-98 victory over the Utah Jazz.
“It seems like every single time, it brings us the win,” Embiid said of scoring a lot of points. “So I got to keep trying to be efficient and try to play with my teammates. And good things happen when you worry about the right thing. You know, that’s moving the ball and the ball just found me.”
Embiid is averaging 33.3 points and has scored at least 30 points in 12 of his 18 games played. He’s scored at least 40 points four times this season.
“Joel, he literally scored in every way that you can score a basketball tonight,” coach Doc Rivers said of Sunday’s win. “Even the last play was slot drive and we do that drive every day, but we do it for the guards. I don’t think I’ve ever done it for bigs.
“Maybe we have to add that now, because that was terrific.”
Harrell’s energy
Rivers raved over Harrell’s energy.
The reserve center finished with nine points on 4-for-5 shooting. Harrell also had four assists, three rebounds and one block in 12 minutes, 57 seconds.
“You know what helps us with Trez is his ability to play with the ball,” Rivers said. “And James likes playing with Trez in that way. And you could see they had a little delay flip action going. So that was good. Really good.”
Harrell had success doing the little things and setting screens.
“These guys are helluva offensive players,” Harrell said. “They’re going to draw a lot of attention. The more I can get them open, and get them in the flow of things going downhill, I feel I’m going to be the one that really rewards them.”
Harden’s impact
Harden and Embiid looked the part of an All-NBA tandem against the Hornets (7-20). Some would argue that they should look that way, considering Charlotte is the team with the league’s second-worst record.
But even still, Harden showed how he can complement Embiid’s scoring.
The guard finished with 19 points on 6-for-12 shooting along with a game-high 16 assists and nine rebounds. He was a game-best plus-18.
“I see Joel had it going,” he said. “So it’s only right to get the big fella the ball.”
Harden also assisted on a couple of huge three-pointers by De’Anthony Melton that broke the game wide open in the third quarter.
» READ MORE: Joel Embiid’s 53 points power Sixers to 131-113 win over Hornets
“So I was just trying to find a mixture of scoring,” Harden said, “but when Joel has it going and when our shooters and other guys need opportunities. If everybody is on a high ceiling and playing well, it’s going to be very, very difficult to beat us.”
This was Harden’s 30th career game with at least 15 points and 15 assists. He’s one of 13 players in league history to accomplish that feat. Sunday was also the third time he did so as a Sixer.