James Harden, Tobias Harris Explain 76ers’ Comeback vs. Clippers
The Philadelphia 76ers faced their toughest matchup of the seven-game stretch on Friday night. Considering just one other team had a winning record during the seven-game homestand, the Sixers understood they had a tough task to close it out.
The Los Angeles Clippers entered the matchup on a two-game win streak sitting at 19-14 near the top of the Western Conference. Considering the star power they possess and the talented depth they have behind the stars, the Clippers are one of the West’s biggest contenders.
Through the first half of action on Friday night, the Clippers gave the Sixers a run for their money. After draining over 60 percent of their shots from the field, Los Angeles led by 12 points going into halftime.
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers mentioned after the game that he believed his team still had a good chance to win the game as long as they stayed locked in and executed the gameplan. Fortunately for Rivers and the Sixers, they gave Los Angeles a run for their money in the second half.
“We just actually started playing,” Tobias Harris laughed. “We were terrible. Our defense was awful. Offensively, we were slow, sluggish.”
Through the first two quarters, the Sixers drained 22 of their 48 shots from the field. From deep, they hit on just 29 percent of their threes. To compare, the Clippers knocked down over 50 percent of their long-range shots.
“Once we were actually able to get some stops, get out and run, get some momentum, get the crowd into the game, and create some energy, we were able to get going,” Harris added.
The third quarter was a much different story as the tables turned. The Clippers dropped to below 40 percent shooting from the field overall, while the Sixers ended up hitting on 60 percent of their 20 shots. With a 34-22 rally, the Sixers tied the game up going into the fourth quarter.
“Our defensive pressure picked up in the second half,” said Sixers guard James Harden. “In the first half, it felt like they were making everything. We knew how good of an offensive team they were. Honestly, in the last couple of games, we haven’t really played like a really elite offensive team. It was a good test for us.”
With the score tied at 85 going into the fourth quarter, the Sixers took the opportunity to complete a comeback and run with it.
“We just had some life to the game,” Harris finished. “We got good shots early on. We didn’t make many of them, and we weren’t playing great defense. Once we were able to kind of combat that and flip that script, we were able to go with it.”
“They caught us in that first half,” Harden added. “In the second half, we picked up our defensive intensity, got out in transition, and made the game a lot easier for us.”
The Sixers outscored the Clippers 34-29 in the fourth quarter. With that late-game run, the Sixers put Los Angeles away with a 119-114 victory.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
