What’s the next step for Joel Embiid-James Harden pairing? Consistently getting Sixers teammates involved

MILWAUKEE — The 76ers need a consistent offensive spark from a shooter even when Joel Embiid and James are excelling in the pick-and-roll.

Even though Harden and Embiid had it going early on, there was a level they couldn’t reach down the stretch of Thursday’s 133-126 road loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

“Being able to score or create scoring for someone else,” coach Doc Rivers said, “that’s the next level where both of them [are] scoring and both of them are passing at the same time. Being able to space the floor and get the ball to the other side of the floor, and we score on that side as well. We haven’t done that yet.”

Embiid paced the Sixers (40-22) with 35 points and eight rebounds, while Harden added 27 points and 13 assists.

But neither player was on the floor when the Sixers got back into the game with a 15-0 run, closing the gap to 110-106 with 9 minutes, 22 seconds remaining.

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Harden reentered the game 55 seconds later while Embiid returned along with Tobias Harris and De’Anthony Melton with 7:14 left and his team down 11 points.

The Sixers’ next two possessions concluded with turnovers by Harden (bad pass) and Embiid (lost ball). Then after Tyrese Maxey scored on a dunk and three-pointer, Harden committed another a turnover.

The standout point guard made a three-pointer in his lone fourth-quarter shot attempt. He also committed three turnovers total and had one assist in the quarter. Embiid had eight points on 4-for-7 shooting to go with an assist and a turnover.

However, Harris and Melton weren’t involved offensively in the fourth quarter. Harris didn’t get a single shot attempt, while Melton attempted one, a missed three-pointer. Seventeen of Maxey’s 29 points came in the quarter. But 10 of those points came during the 15-0 run playing alongside reserves. Maxey only got four shots, making three, with Embiid on the floor down the stretch, despite being the hot player.

“For me, I just try to make the game easy for everybody,” Harden said in response to Rivers wanting him and Embiid to take the next step. “So whether it’s Joel or it’s a shooter, that’s my job.

“Of course, I want to get our shooters more shots. It’s going to make our team a lot better.”

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The Sixers might need that consistent balance Saturday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks have the Eastern Conference and league’s best record at 45-17. They’ll look to extend their winning streak to 17 games in what will be the teams’ third meeting of the season.

Milwaukee prevailed, 90-88, at the Wells Fargo Center on Oct. 20. The Sixers defeated the Bucks, 110-102, on Nov. 18 thanks to Embiid’s stellar play and poor foul shooting by Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Embiid finished with team highs of 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists on a night Maxey left late in the first half with a broken left foot. Harden was also sidelined with a strained tendon in his right foot.

Antetokounmpo made just 4-of-15 free throws, including 2 of 10 in the second half. However, the night is remembered for the two-time MVP’s near postgame altercation with Sixers reserve center Montrezl Harrell. After such an event, there could be some lingering hostility.

But this matchup could be a good barometer to see if the conference’s third-place Sixers can take the next step.

“It was good [Thursday] until the end,” Rivers said of the Harden/Embiid pick-and-roll. “I didn’t like it in the end. I didn’t like where we spaced.”