Harden’s three in OT helps 76ers tie up series
James Harden had a new friend he called his goodluck charm in the arena and the grit he needed to turn in a vintage effort — in the form of tying and winning shots —for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Looking down and out in the previous two games, Good Game James saved the 76ers in Game 4.
Harden hit a floater with 16 seconds left in regulation that tied the game, buried the go-ahead three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining in overtime and scored 42 points to help the 76ers stave off a wild Boston Celtics comeback in a 116-115 victory on Sunday.
“Today was do-or-die for us,” Harden said.
The 76ers tied their playoff series at 2-2.
Harden won the game in front of John Hao, a paralyzed Michigan State shooting survivor who developed a long-distance friendship with the 10-time All-Star.
“He’s strong, he‘s bouncing back, he’s recovering very well,” Harden said. “I feel like it’s my job to give him that light, that smile that he deserves.”
Harden waved over Hao and signed his game-worn sneakers moments after Marcus Smart’s potential winner for Boston was a tick too late. The 76ers are now guaranteed to return home for Game 6 on Thursday.
Boston’s Jaylen Brown said his poor defensive read when he left Harden to try to double Joel Embiid, the NBA most valuable player who had 34 points and 13 rebounds, was a big moment.
“It’s a gamble at the wrong time and a big shot by James Harden,” Brown said. “That’s my fault.”
The Celtics did almost all they could to snuff out that chance. Smart and Jayson Tatum keyed a Celtics rally from 15 points down with two minutes left in the third quarter.
Tatum finished with 24 points, 18 rebounds, six assists and four blocks. He hit a step-back three for a 115-113 lead in overtime, but Harden made sure Boston would never challenge again.
“Jayson Tatum’s three was awful that [a push-off] wasn’t called,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. “You’ve got to call that play. I know it’s a big play and I’m a big fan of refs not deciding [the game] but it could have decided the game.”
Brown scored 23 points and Smart had 21.
Brown, though, took only three shots in the fourth quarter and none in OT.
“I guess I’ve got to demand the ball a little bit more,” he said.
Phoenix 129, Denver 124: The Nuggets put their defensive pressure and attention on the Suns’ high-scoring duo of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant in the fourth quarter of Game 4.
“We were trying to make other guys beat us not named Booker, not named Durant,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone explained.
Landry Shamet obliged. The guard made four crucial three-pointers in the final period, Booker and Durant both scored 36 points, and the Suns evened their Western Conference semifinal series.
Booker also finished with a playoff career-high 12 assists, including a few to Shamet, who finished with 19 points on five-for-eight shooting from three-point range. Shamet had scored 14 points the entire postseason before Sunday.
Denver lost despite a huge game from MVP runner-up Nikola Jokic, who poured in 53 points on 20for-30 shooting.
Suns point guard Chris Paul (groin strain) missed his second straight game.