AWESOME TWOSOME: HARDEN, EMBIID CARRY SIXERS TO SERIES-TYING WIN
PHILADELPHIA—James Harden sensational and Joel Embiwas id seems to be getting better by the game and the duo keyed a 116-108 victory by the Sixers over top-ranked Miami on Sunday that knotted their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series at two games apiece.
Harden knocked down step-back threes with precision and finished with 31 points, while Embiid, who missed the first two games with concussion and faa cial fracture, scored 24 points, his presence again making things tougher for Miami defensively.
“I don’t think we’ve played our best basketball,” Embiid said as he suits up on the road for the first time when the series returns to Miami for Game 5 on Tuesday.
Harden, meanwhile, played his most dominant game of these playoffs, hitting 16 of his total in the fourth period to help key the Philadelphia win. “Nothing really changed. I just made shots,” Harden, who pulled down seven realso bounds and handed out nine assists, said.
“It’s just James being James,” coach Doc Rivers said. “I felt like he was going to have a big game tonight. You can just sense it.” Embiid carried the Sixers early, scoring 15 points in the first quarter. Harden, who didn’t score in the opening period, took over with 13 points in the second and Philadelphia took a 64-56 lead into after an openhalftime ing half that featured 17 lead changes.
The Sixers, up 8985 going into the fourth, pushed the lead to 10 with less than six minutes remaining. Miami had cut it to five when Harden drove to the rim for a basket then drained a three-pointer.
In Dallas, the Mavericks rained 20 three-pointers and again neutralized Phoenix point guard Chris Paul to beat the top-seeded Suns, 111-101, to also level their series out west at 2-2.
Star guard Luka Doncic scored 26 points and Dorian Finney-Smith added 24 for Dallas, which has won two games at home for the tie.
The Suns, who finished the regular season with the best record in the league, will try to regain the advantage when they host Game 5 also on Tuesday. It’s guaranteed to shift back to Dallas for Game 6 on Thursday.
Overall, the Mavs were on fire from beyond the arc, their eight three-pointers in the first quarter helping them build a 37-25 lead.