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James Harden Reacts to Highlight Pass to Tyrese Maxey vs. Raptors

The Philadelphia 76ers got off to an ideal start in the first half of their Game 1 matchup in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs against the Toronto

Justin Grasso

James Harden Reacts to Highlight Pass to Tyrese Maxey vs. Raptors
James Harden Reacts to Highlight Pass to Tyrese Maxey vs. Raptors /

The Philadelphia 76ers got off to an ideal start in the first half of their Game 1 matchup in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs against the Toronto Raptors. 

As four players in the Sixers' starting five scored double-digits in the first 24 minutes of action, the Sixers led the Raptors 69-51 at halftime.

The Sixers had tons of momentum going into the half, but it seemed things were slowing down a bit at the start of the third quarter. However, Philly's second-year guard Tyrese Maxey formed a takeover.

Every one of Tyrese Maxey's baskets that led to a 21-point rally at the start of the second half sent the Wells Fargo Center crowd into a frenzy.

But no play got the crowd roaring quite like James Harden's impressive bounce pass from around half-court to Maxey, who was streaking to the basket. 

Once Maxey caught the pass, he made a signature tough layup for a basket, which caused the Raptors to call a timeout as the Sixers got out in front with an 18-point lead late in the third quarter.

"For me, I’m not fast at all. He is so fast," said James Harden, who nodded in Maxey's direction. "I’ve been trying to do a better job getting the ball and advancing the ball and pushing our pace just a little bit more with advance passing. We did a good job, something we talked about as far as rebounding the basketball. We did a great job today. And when he’s running, you’ve gotta reward him. He’s a great finisher. He makes the right plays, so I just try to keep him going.

Overall, Maxey finished the game with a game-high of 38 points, which was a playoff career-high for the second-year guard. As for Harden, he notched a double-double with 22 points and 14 assists in the Sixers' dominant 131-111 win over Toronto in Game 1.

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

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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