Joel Embiid, James Harden Join Legendary Company in Win vs. Bucks

Joel Embiid and James Harden were on fire against the Bucks on Saturday night.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ star duo of James Harden and Joel Embiid did what they needed to do to bounce back from a disappointing loss against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.

Coming out on the wrong end of a shootout, the road didn’t get much easier for the Sixers on Saturday. Next up on their schedule was a matchup against the Eastern Conference’s top seed, the Milwaukee Bucks, who were on a 16-game win streak.

Through the first half of action on Saturday, the Bucks outscored the Sixers 59-53. While the game was tight initially, Milwaukee got off to a phenomenal start in the second half. During the third quarter, the Sixers trailed by as many as 18 points.

The Sixers didn’t lay down and take the second-straight loss on the road, though. Instead, the team got the work and would rely heavily on the two stars, James Harden and Joel Embiid, who proved why they are one of the NBA’s most dominant duos right now.

At halftime, Embiid and Harden had decent starts to their night. The seven-footer drained five of his 11 shots in 17 minutes and scored 12 points in the first half. He also dished out four assists and came down with three rebounds.

Harden, on the other hand, led the Sixers in scoring with 15 points in 20 minutes. While his assists were lower than usual, Harden had six rebounds through the first two quarters.

Knowing they needed to step up if they wanted to win, Embiid and Harden reached another level in the second half. As the Sixers produced 80 points in the final two quarters, Embiid and Harden were responsible for more than half of those points.

Embiid collected 19 points on 11 shots and eight free throws in 19 minutes. Harden led the charge with 23 points on ten shots and eight free throws in 18 minutes.

In the passing department, Embiid tacked on six assists in the second half, while Harden dished out seven of his own. By the end of the game, Embiid and Harden became just the second Sixers duo ever to post at least 30 points and ten assists in the same game. They joined legendary company in Wilt Chamberlain and Hal Greer, who accomplished the feat in 1965.

.@JoelEmbiid (31 points, 10 assists) and @JHarden13 (38 points, 10 assists) are the second pair of @sixers teammates ever to post at least 30 points and 10 assists in the same game.

Wilt Chamberlain and Hal Greer both did so on 10/30/65 in a win over Cincinnati.

h/t @Stathead

— Sixers Stats (@SixersStats) March 5, 2023

Embiid wrapped up Saturday’s game with 31 points and ten assists. He was just four rebounds shy of snagging a triple-double for the second time this season.

Harden finished the matchup with a game-high of 38 points and tied Embiid with ten assists. The star guard was just one rebound shy of a triple-double, which would’ve been Harden’s fifth triple-double this year. 

The star duo’s accomplishment paid off well for the 76ers. Despite trailing by nearly 20 points in the third quarter, Embiid and Harden’s late rally helped the Sixers pull off a 133-130 upset win. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.