Sixers-Jazz takeaways: Joel Embiid -James Harden combination is elite; Shake Milton thrives off the bench

SALT LAKE CITY — James Harden and Joel Embiid’s two-man game might be one of the NBA’s best guard-center tandems in a long time.

Shake Milton can thrive as a sixth man, if need be. But no lead is safe when it comes to the Sixers.

These three things stood out during Saturday’s 118-117 victory the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena.

The days of cringing while Harden and Embiid struggle to coexist are long gone. Over the past month, the duo has been a gift from the basketball gods for the Sixers.

Embiid has averaged 35.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks in his last 14 games before Saturday night’s contest. Harden, in his last 16 games, was averaging 21.8 points, 12.1 assists, and 1.5 steals.

And their teamwork was a major reason why the Sixers left the Crossroad of the West with a victory.

Harden accounted for 76.7% of his team’s points in the fourth quarter (18 points and two assists, with five points created from those assists). His last assist was a behind-the-back pass to Embiid. The center took a step before scoring the go-ahead 13-foot fadeaway jumper with 5.7 seconds left.

» READ MORE: At NBA’s halfway mark, the Sixers sit in a solid position in the wide open Eastern Conference

“I had to make it [with the team] down one,” Embiid said. “I had to make it, especially with the way we played tonight...”

Then Embiid and P.J. Tucker ended the game with a huge defensive double-team stop on Jordan Clarkson.

At one point, Harden scored 16 straight points in the fourth quarter.

“I saw an opporunity,” Harden said of taking over the fourth quarter. “I saw oppportunities. They made a run. Other than that first quarter when we put up 41 [points], they pretty much beat us in the second quarter and third quarter. So the fourth quarter they made some shots. So it was an opportunity to take advantage of it. And I did, just my aggressiveness.”

He finished with team highs of 31 points and 11 assists to go with six rebounds. Embiid added 30 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks.

Like they’ve been for the past month, the two were in sync offensively. That led to Embiid benefiting from easy baskets on assists from Harden.

Embiid was a step behind Harden, who had the ball in transition, midway through the first quarter. The point guard tossed the ball to Embiid, who finished the play with a dunk to put the Sixers up, 32-19. A couple of possessions later, Harden zipped a pass to the center leading to a layup.

Then, at the end of the half, Harden assisted on Embiid’s bank-shot three-pointer.

Milton was the first player off the Sixers’ bench. That had a lot to do with De’Anthony Melton starting in place of Tobias Harris, who’s sidelined with a left knee bone bruise.

Milton provided a spark, scoring 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. But the combo guard did more than score baskets. He did a solid job of running the offense when Harden was out. Milton was very unselfish, constantly swinging the ball to teammates. And he was active on both ends of the floor. That enabled him to draw a charge on Talen Horton-Tucker with 1:19 left in the third quarter.

The Sixers have a knack for blowing huge leads, and Saturday was no different.

This game had all the signs of an easy win as they built a commanding 20-point cushion in the first quarter. However, they found themselves in a dogfight for the whole fourth quarter. And they needed big plays by Embiid and Harden to pull out the victory.

Coach Doc Rivers didn’t know why the Sixers couldn’t sustain their dominant level of the play throughout the game. But this is something they’ll need to correct.

» READ MORE: Sixers mailbag: ‘Is there any chance to see De’Anthony Melton in the starting lineup instead of P. J. Tucker?’

“I swear, the first six minutes, everything we did, guys were in the right spot, the cuts were right, the passes were right,” Rivers said. “And then I thought we kind of got out of that. So I can’t wait to watch why. Was it something that they did that we can make an adjustment to?

“A lot of times … guys just start getting too smart for our own self, and I thought a little bit of that happened as well.”

Best performance: This goes to Harden, who sayed the game for the Sixers.

Worst performance: I had to give it to Georges Niang. The Sixers reserve power forward was held scoreless for the third time this season. On this night, Niang went 0-for-3 from the field in 12:24. He didn’t see any fourth-quarter action.

Best defensive performance: This goes to Utah’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker on a night that Melton has three steals and two blocks. However, an inability to stop Clarkson in the clutch prevented Melton from receiving the award. Alexander-Walker had two steals and a block was a game-best plus-14.

» READ MORE: James Harden might be more lauded in history than now, even as other NBA stars follow his example

Worst statistic: I had to give this to Tyrese Maxey’s 2-for-11 shooting after intermission.

Best statistic: This goes to the Sixers having just eight turnovers.

Best of the Best off the court: I had to give this to Embiid’s standing at midcourt in the middle of the the Jazz dance team’s performance right before the start of the game. He even grooved to their dance steps.

Best of the Best: Saturday’s victory moved the Sixers up one spot to fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. They’re also a half-game behind the third-place MIlwaukee Bucks.