Sixers vs. Pacers takeaways: Harden vindicated, McDaniels’ adaptability, Maxey’s spark-plug role

INDIANAPOLIS — James Harden is making the coaches who were responsible for his NBA All-Star omission look foolish.

Jalen McDaniels is showing why the 76ers believe he’s a great acquisition. And Tyrese Maxey provides the team’s spark.

These three things stood out in Monday’s 147-143 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The NBA coaches might want to start putting some respect back on Harden’s name.

The Sixers point guard wasn’t selected as an All-Star reserve despite being the league’s assist leader.

The omission was mind blowing, considering that Harden had 13 games with at least 12 assists before the All-Stars were named.

Then came Monday. Harden finished with 14 points, 20 assists, nine rebounds and just one turnover in 39 minutes, 32 seconds. He came one assist shy of the career-high 21 he had against the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 23.

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Harden leads the league with 10.81 assists per game. But in addition to being the NBA 2018 MVP, Harden is a 10-time All-Star, a three-time scoring champion and a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team.

Yet, he was left off the recent All-Star team.

Players like to let their performances speak for them. Harden was asked what he thinks his performances are showing people.

“I don’t know what they want from me,” he said. “You know what I mean? I’ve been doing this thing for a very long time. I’ve been one of the most consistent players in this league since I’ve been in.

“The only thing that I can do is control what I can control, keep going out there and impacting the game every single night that I step on the floor. And I’ll live with the results.”

McDaniels is showing that he can make contributions in various roles for the Sixers.

The team acquired him from the Charlotte Hornets in a four-team trade on Feb. 9. He excelled after being put in during crunch time in Saturday’s victory over the Milwaukee Bucks due to Tobias Harris (bruised left calf) leaving the game with an injury.

With Harris sidelined, McDaniels got his first start as a Sixer on Monday. He responded with his best performance thus far with the team.

The 6-foot-9 forward had 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting to go with eight rebounds. Both are highs as a Sixer.

“Just showing that I can do both,” he said. “You can throw me in the starting lineup and I can come off the bench. I feel being the versatile player that I am, it doesn’t matter where you put me at.”

McDaniels explained that he always has the same goal, which is to play at a high motor. He is determined to make his opportunities count.

“Just being a smart player out there,” he said. “And defensively, trying to be the best defender.”

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Joel Embiid finished with a game-high 42 points on 11-for-16 shooting while making all 19 of his foul shots. Yet as impressive as the Sixers center was, Maxey set the tempo for the game.

In fact, Embiid took a backseat to Maxey early on.

The Sixers shooting guard scored 14 of his points in the first quarter while making 4 of 5 three-pointers and shooting 5 of 6 overall. Maxey was unstoppable early on and appeared to set the tempo for both teams. For the game, he finished with 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting -- including make 6 of 9 three-pointers.

“I just tried to be aggressive,” Maxey said of the first quarter. “And then if they help, I think I can kind of get [the shot] off kind of fast. And that’s what I was doing. They helped a few times off me, and James threw it to me. I kind of got a jab step on my first three.”

He acted like he was going right and came back left for a step-back three.

But Maxey said making a layup on his first basket was a blessing.

“Once you make the layup the basket gets huge,” he said. “And that’s what I tried to do, stay aggressive and help my team.”

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Best performance: This goes to Tyrese Haliburton in a losing effort. I know Embiid finished with a game-high 42 points. I know that Harden finished with a game-high 19 assists. But Haliburton was a combination of Embiid and Harden. He finished with 40 points and 16 assists.

Worst performance: I had to give this to Myles Turner for failing to stay out of foul trouble. This was supposed to standout center battle between two of the league’s elite centers. Instead, the Pacer fouled out in 17 minutes, 12 seconds of action. He also committed three turnovers.

Best defensive performance: Paul Reed gets this one. The Sixers reserve center finished with a game-high three blocks and a steal.

Worst statistic: This goes to the Sixers surrendering 70 points in the paint.

Best statistic: This goes to the Sixers’ season-high 37 assists.

Best individual statistic: I gave this to Embiid’s foul shooting. He went 19-for-19 from the foul line.

Best of the Best: The third-place Sixers pulled without two-game of the third-place Boston Celtics with the win.