If James Harden stays in this groove, Sixers could be a force

If this version of James Harden remains intact, the 76ers could be tough to beat.

The point guard has kept the Sixers’ offense running fluidly in the last three games while still leaving his scoring imprint.

Harden averaged 22.7 points, 14.3 assists, and 2.3 steals in 40.6 minutes in home victories over the Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Hornets, and Los Angeles Lakers. He also shot 50% from the field, including a 43.5% mark from beyond the three-point line, in the first three contests of the Sixers’ seven-game homestand.

» READ MORE: Sixers vs. Kings takeaways: Joel Embiid’s unselfish play, Tobias Harris’ versatility and Matisse Thybulle’s confidence

In a 123-103 victory over the Kings on Tuesday, Harden had 21 points, seven rebounds, a game-high 15 assists, and tying a career high with five steals. He became the first Sixer ever to finish with at least 15 points and 15 assists in consecutive games.

Those are solid accomplishments, considering that Tuesday marked just his fourth game back since being sidelined 14 games with a strained tendon in his right foot.

And before the winning streak, his All-NBA pairing with Joel Embiid had been a failure. The Sixers (15-12) had a 2-5 record in games that Harden and Embiid played together before this run.

But the team has played at a better pace and in rhythm during this homestand. For the first time this season, the Sixers resembled a team capable of living up to its lofty preseason expectations of contending for the Eastern Conference title.

» READ MORE: Dominant scoring nights are becoming routine for Sixers’ Joel Embiid

“I think offensively, it’s just knowing what we’re trying to accomplish possession by possession,” Harden said. “That’s the most important thing. Like, if we’re out here and every body is on a different page and has their own individual agendas — that goes for any team — the offense isn’t going to be successful. It doesn’t matter how many great players you have on the team.”

At the start of the season, the Sixers spent a lot of time standing around and watching Harden over-dribble in isolation plays. The team’s pace was also one of the slowest the league had seen in the last few seasons.

You wouldn’t have known that Tuesday night.

Harden got the ball up the court quickly and routinely created opportunities for others when Embiid was out of the game or trailing the play.

“Once he gets down there, we all kind of know what to do,” Harden said of feeding Embiid in the paint. “So guys are doing a really good job of moving their bodies, finding the open spots. I’m just trying to hit them on target.”

One play that stood out was when Shake Milton drove the lane and found Harden at the three-point line. Harden dribbled into the lane, drew defenders, and fired a pass to a wide-open Tobias Harris. Harris then buried a catch-and-shoot three-pointer with 8 minutes, 45 seconds left in the first quarter.

» READ MORE: Sixers win third straight

Being aggressive, Harden also had three post-ups against the Kings (14-12). Two ended with his assists on half of Georges Niang’s four three-pointers.

Posting up has not always been a part of Harden’s repertoire, but he said it’s another way for him to create opportunities. One option is to bait the defense to send another defender before passing to a wide-open teammate. The other option is to be aggressive and score.

“That’s something we’ve worked on and it can be something really good for us,” coach Doc Rivers said.”The post-up to the pick-and-roll: That tight pick-and-roll is a hard play to guard.

“And James, it’s funny, we talked about it this summer. Now that he’s doing it, Joel and him have a pretty good rhythm and that can be really great down the stretch play for us.”