Sixers pull away for a big win against James Harden and the Clippers

LOS ANGELES — The game film confirmed what Nick Nurse had believed after a disheartening loss Friday at the Lakers. The 76ers had generated great offense. The shots simply would not fall.

Sunday afternoon, they did. The Sixers built an early 17-point lead, held off the Clippers’ second-half charge, then pulled away in the final frame to clinch a much-needed 121-107 victory at Crypto.com Arena in James Harden’s first matchup against his former team.

“We brought a similar effort from the other night, and the ball went in,” Nurse said following the game. “[We] just kind of talked about that before the game — that we were generating good shots and everybody be ready to pull the trigger, and they did.

“I thought, when it hit our hands to start the game, we were really confident.”

Harden, who did not speak to the media after finishing with 12 points and 14 assists Sunday, was traded to the Clippers on Nov. 1 after a tumultuous end to his Sixers tenure that lasted parts of three seasons. The former MVP in late June opted into the final year of his contract and simultaneously requested to be moved to the Clippers, then later in the summer called president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a liar, then remained on the roster for the start of training camp and regular season’s first three games.

And coming quickly is Harden’s return to Philly on Wednesday, after the Sixers (39-32) finish this four-game Western Conference road trip Monday night at the Sacramento Kings.

Sunday’s win also at least temporarily moved the Sixers into seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings. They entered the day with the same record as the Miami Heat (who hold the head-to-head tiebreaker and host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night), and 1½ games behind the sixth-place Indiana Pacers (who play the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night).

The result was the style of win over a quality opponent rarely accomplished by the Sixers since reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid went down with a knee injury more than six weeks ago. Tyrese Maxey scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half, and added six assists. Cameron Payne had 23 points and five rebounds off the bench. Tobias Harris scored 19 of his 24 points in the first half, while Kelly Oubre Jr. added 12 points and a season-high six assists. As a team, the Sixers shot 53.3% from the floor and 18-of-37 from three-point range.

The Sixers took an 88-83 lead into the fourth quarter, then swiftly extended it to 21 points when back-to-back three-pointers by Maxey sparked a 20-4 run. By the time Clippers big man Mason Plumlee stepped to the free-throw line with his team trailing 108-87 with less than seven minutes remaining, chants of “Let’s go Sixers!” rained down from the stands. With more than five minutes to go, Clippers coach Ty Lue began emptying his bench.

After Clippers star Paul George tied the score at 73 midway through the third quarter, the Sixers answered with an 8-2 spurt capped by a Maxey driving layup.

Less than 48 hours after shooting a dismal 34.4% from the floor in Friday’s loss at the Lakers, the Sixers made a blistering 17 of 25 shots (including 7-of-9 from three-point range) to build a 41-29 lead at the end of the first. They stretched it to 17 points on two Payne free throws less than three minutes into the second quarter, before a lull allowed the Clippers to trim that gap to 63-56 on a Kawhi Leonard jumper in the final minute before the break.

Sunday marked the return to Los Angeles for Nico Batum and KJ Martin, who were acquired by the Sixers in the Harden blockbuster deal. Batum was active but did not play, on a pseudo rest day ahead of Monday’s second half of a back-to-back. Martin finished with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting and four assists. Robert Covington, who was also part of that trade, did not make the trip with the Sixers while continuing to rehab the knee bone bruise that has kept him out for nearly three months.