Tobias Harris’ timely shots epitomize Sixers’ turnaround against Memphis Grizzlies

The hero of the game against the Grizzlies was Harris, who is often maligned by fans.

Sixers forward Tobias Harris against the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday, February 23, 2023 in Philadelphia.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

Published Feb. 24, 2023, 5:00 a.m. ET

In Tobias Harris’ words, it all started with the air ball.

When the 76ers’ forward’s three-point attempt from the right corner with less than five minutes to play Thursday night landed nowhere near the rim, he felt the crowd grumble (and later mimicked the “ahhh” reaction complete with arm motions). Yet his internal dialogue in the moment was “shoot the next one.”

On a night when Joel Embiid made up for a horrendous shooting performance with 19 rebounds, six blocks and six assists, and James Harden totaled 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Harris perhaps most epitomized the Sixers’ turnaround in an improbable 110-105 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at the Wells Fargo Center.

Harris scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter against the Western Conference’s second-best team, including one deep shot that cut the Sixers’ deficit to one point and then his go-ahead shot from the same spot on the floor with 39.1 seconds to play. Harris also guarded Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant for large chunks of the second half, and sealed the Sixers’ win with two free throws in the final seconds.

“He had confidence to knock it down,” Harden said of Harris. “I think he’s going to get a lot of opportunities like that off my playmaking or pick and roll with Joel and us getting into the paint. As a team, I think we all struggled, and then late in the fourth quarter we found the rhythm.”

Time will tell if Thursday is the start of a strong stretch run for Harris, who had been so steady while the Sixers dealt with a barrage of early-season injuries but was struggling with his outside shot heading into the All-Star break.

He made just 28.6% of his three-point attempts in the 25 games from Dec. 23 through Feb. 13, before going 3-of-4 from long range against the Cleveland Cavaliers in his final game before the respite. It was an uncharacteristically extended lull for a player who has flirted with 50/40/90 shooting seasons, and who uses a variety of resources, such as a bigger ball and glasses that simulate defender close-outs, to sharpen his catch-and-release timing and form.

Harris spent the break decompressing on vacation, though coach Doc Rivers said he believes Harris is still “a little banged up.” He only got four shots up in the first half against Memphis, while the Sixers as a whole only made 32.6% of their attempts from the floor and trailed by as many as 17 points.

Yet Harris initially made his impact Thursday on the defensive end. When perimeter pest De’Anthony Melton picked up his fifth foul in the third quarter, Harris utilized his size and length to help hold the dynamic Morant to 3-of-16 from the field. That’s where Harris has improved dramatically since the blockbuster trade for Harden about a year ago, prompting Rivers to trust Harris to guard some of the game’s lethal perimeter players.

Then came Harris’ air ball. And then, his timely shots.

Harris mean-mugged following his three-pointer that got the Sixers within 99-98 with less than four minutes to play. He passed up his next open look from same spot, instead taking three baseline dribbles and flipping the ball back to Harden for the bucket that again cut the Sixers’ deficit to one with 1:24 remaining. That hesitation caused Harris to say “some nasty words” inside his head, then to remind himself, “Yo, the next shot I get, if I got the time and space, I’m letting it go and I’m going to make it.”

That opportunity arrived about a minute later. Harris credited P.J. Tucker for scrambling for the offensive rebound that eventually wound up in Embiid’s hands well outside the arc. Embiid then passed to Tucker at the right wing, who quickly swung the ball to Harris in that familiar corner.

Harris let it fly, then stuck his tongue out to celebrate pushing the Sixers ahead for good.

“I knew he shot a bad shot the last one,” Tucker said of Harris. “So I knew he was going to make it.”