Basketball: James Harden posts triple-double as 76ers cruise past Pistons
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Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden became just the 27th player to record 24,000 points in the NBA on Sunday.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LOS ANGELES – Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said “it’s like having a scoring Magic Johnson on the floor”, after James Harden’s 20-point triple-double helped carry the short-handed 76ers to a 123-111 National Basketball Association win over the Pistons in Detroit on Sunday.
He added 11 rebounds and 11 assists in his second triple-double of the season and had plenty of support, despite the continued absence of star centre Joel Embiid and P.J. Tucker.
Harden reached a career milestone during the game, becoming the 27th NBA player to score 24,000 career points.
Embiid missed his third straight game with a sore left foot while Tucker was out with a sinus infection.
“He was terrific,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said of Harden but noted it was a “good team performance”.
Montrezl Harrell scored a season-high 20 points, his third straight game in double figures, and combined seamlessly with Harden.
Paul Reed contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for the Sixers. Georges Niang tossed in 14 points and Tobias Harris added 12 for Philadelphia, who led virtually from start to finish.
On Harden, Rivers said: “I hate to use this example, but when he’s playing like this, it’s like having a scoring Magic Johnson on the floor.
“We keep talking about pace. We played really quick, really fast throughout the game, kept the floor spaced, kept going downhill, kept making plays, advanced the ball.
“The only way you can do that is with stops. Obviously in the first half we got those.”
Tyrese Maxey scored 23 points, and the 76ers reserves scored 48 points as Philadelphia pushed their lead to 23 points midway through the fourth quarter.
Said Maxey: “Our defence was pretty good, we took care of the ball and I think everyone competed hard.
“Even someone like Paul Reed comes in and gets nine points and eight offensive rebounds. He plays with so much energy that the other team can’t keep up.”
Rivers added: “‘The end showed how deep we are. Matisse (Thybulle) had six steals, Paul had eight offensive rebounds, Danuel House Jr comes in and hits a couple of 3s. Our whole room has bought it.”
French guard Killian Hayes led the Pistons with 26 points in the defeat, equalling his career high.
Said Pistons coach Dwane Casey: “That’s a team playing for a championship and we shot ourselves in the foot. We had 22 turnovers – the same number we had in the last game against them. We can’t give them points like that.”
Isaiah Stewart had 20 points and 13 rebounds and Bojan Bogdanovic also scored 20 points.
In Toronto, Pascal Siakam scored 27 points and Scottie Barnes contributed 22 as the Raptors handed the Portland Trail Blazers a seventh straight road defeat, 117-105.
Damian Lillard scored 14 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, but the late surge was not enough for Portland to turnaround their road fortunes against a Toronto team that snapped a three-game skid. AFP, REUTERS
