Tobias Harris scores season-high 37 points as Sixers defeat Kings, snap three-game skid

De’Antony Melton’s three-point attempt fell short, but Tobias Harris was in ideal position to corral the rebound and putback.

That bucket simultaneously pushed the 76ers’ lead back out to a comfortable 21 points in the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings, and gave Harris a new season high in scoring. His 37 points propelled the Sixers to a 112-93 victory Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center, snapping a three-game losing skid in resounding fashion against a quality opponent.

The Sixers (24-13) also improved to 3-7 without reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, who missed his third consecutive game with knee inflammation. Embiid was also recently sidelined for the entirety of a four-game road trip with a sprained ankle. Coach Nick Nurse said before Friday’s game that Embiid’s status remains day-to-day and that he is hopeful Embiid can return to practice soon.

» READ MORE: How has Tyrese Maxey handled life without Joel Embiid? A look at his stats when the star sits.

Harris fell just shy of his career-high 39 points, which he set in 2018 against the Portland Trail Blazers when he was a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. He misfired his final four shot attempts, including two pull-up three-pointers with the home crowd encouraging him to let it fly. Yet he finished 14-of-25 from the floor from the floor and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line Friday to surpass his previous season high of 33 points scored in a Dec. 20 win against the Toronto Raptors. He added seven rebounds and thre assists.

Harris was a dangerous and efficient scorer from the start, with 14 first-quarter points to set a new season high in any single quarter this season. He was up to 23 points by halftime, by regularly getting to the basket in transition and on cuts to help the Sixers lead by as many as 22 points before the break.

Harris also spent much of the game guarding Kings All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis, who at one point in the second quarter had more fouls (three) than shot attempts (zero) and finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. The Sixers’ defense was stout throughout, holding the Kings to 34% from the floor and 9-of-40 from three-point range while forcing 17 turnovers that they parlayed into 29 points.

The Kings (23-15) cut the gap to 85-73 in the third quarter’s final minute, when De’Aaron Fox hit two free throws. But Danuel House Jr. answered with an off-the-dribble jumper, and Harris opened the fourth quarter with a finish inside and a three-pointer to push that lead back out to 92-74 and match his season high in scoring.

Nico Batum added 14 points for the Sixers on 5-of-5 shooting — including back-to-back corner three-pointers that gave his team a 58-36 advantage late in the first half — along with six rebounds and three assists. Tyrese Maxey had 21 points on 6-of-17 shooting and four assists.

The Sixers will host the Houston Rockets on Monday afternoon, before a much-anticipated showdown against the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic on Tuesday night.