James Harden Highlights a Key Area of Concern for Sixers Before Final Games

The Philadelphia 76ers took on a disappointing loss on Thursday night. After going on a three-game win streak, the Sixers fired off with a 15-point lead in the first quarter of their matchup against the Toronto Raptors. Unfortunately, they saw it dissolve quickly.

Throughout the night, the matchup remained tight as the Sixers and the Raptors traded blows. Once the game reached the fourth quarter, Toronto was out in front and prevented the Sixers from ever getting the lead back.

James Harden, who checked in for the entire fourth quarter in Toronto, continued to struggle in the scoring department. Through his first 27 minutes of action, Harden shot just 2-8 from the field, notching nine points.

In his final 12 minutes on the floor, Harden drained just one of his four shots while going 2-2 from the free-throw line to collect four points. When asked about what went wrong for Philadelphia in crunch time on Thursday night, Harden mentioned that a lack of spacing killed the Sixers in the fourth quarter.

The Way Harden Sees It

"Our spacing," said Harden when asked about what went wrong for the team. "It's been like that the last few days. We just gotta watch film and just talk about it and make sure we're in our spots."

Lately, Harden hasn't looked like the best version of himself when it comes to scoring. Not only has his shot not been falling, but the veteran has struggled to successfully attack the rim and score as well. Has the lack of spacing contributed to that? "A little bit," Harden claimed.

With just two games left before the NBA Playoffs, Harden and the Sixers still have a lot to work on. After taking on a loss to the Raptors, Harden believes the team will emphasize working on getting better with spacing.

"[We have to correct] things that we've been dealing with these last few games," Harden said. "I think it's our spacing. I think our spacing helps us with not turning the basketball over and getting quality shots, possession by possession, and that's very, very important in the postseason."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.