James Harden Reveals Simple Recipe for Game 4 Success vs. Miami Heat

Throughout the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden has garnered criticism for his lack of scoring. As a player that used to put up 30 on

Throughout the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden has garnered criticism for his lack of scoring.

As a player that used to put up 30 on any given night, Harden's shifted his game a bit and has become more of a facilitator than ever before.

Going into the Sixers' Game 4 matchup against the Miami Heat on Sunday night, Harden was averaging 18 points per game in the playoffs. From beyond the arc, Harden was knocking down just 32-percent of his shots. 

On Sunday night, Harden not only scored more than 30 points for the first time in the playoffs as a member of the Sixers, but he was also tremendous from deep as he hit on six of his ten three-point attempts throughout the night.

When asked what was different for him in Game 4 compared to the previous three games in the series, Harden summed it up to shots simply falling for him.

The Difference

"Just took what the defense gave me," said Harden after Game 4. "Same shots, just made some. Nothing really changed, man, I just made some shots. Obviously, that’s a game-changer, but just being aggressive. And that group that started the fourth quarter did a really good job of pushing the lead up and doing what we’re supposed to do."

Harden finished Sunday night's matchup with a team-high of 31 points in 40 minutes. The veteran guard helped lead the Sixers past the Heat with a 116-108 win. Now, with the series tied at 2-2, the Sixers and the Heat will compete for Game 5 in Miami on Tuesday night.

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

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