The Philadelphia 76ers regained control of their first-round playoff matchup against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday with a 131-115 road victory, giving them a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. And they did it without their superstar center, Joel Embiid, who was sidelined with left knee soreness.
Other players stepped up in Embiid’s absence, such as Ben Simmons, who led all scorers with 31 points and dished out nine assists. Boban Marjanovic came off the bench to score 14 points and snatch eight rebounds. But it was Tobias Harris who grabbed the spotlight.
The small forward poured in 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field, and he drained all six of his 3-point attempts. He also added 16 rebounds and three assists, and his aggressiveness on the defensive end only added to Brooklyn’s frustration.
“I thought it was a great win for us tonight,” Harris said after the game. “We came out with (Embiid) out and we just got to our game and played hard.”
"We got to our game and played hard." 💪@ROSGO21 spoke with Tobias Harris after the @sixers go up 2-1 to lead the series!#HereTheyCome | #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/h9wi2SNVMv
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 19, 2019
Harris entered the playoffs in a little bit of a shooting slump. But after 19 points in Game 2 and a 6-for-6 performance from beyond the arc Thursday, those days are in the past. When asked about it, Harris deflected the praise.
“First off, just all glory to God,” he told the national TV audience. Harris went on to credit everyday prayer and hard work with helping him to break free from his shooting struggles.
He has fit in nicely with the 76ers since being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers in February — a move he praised God for afterward. Combined, the 26-year-old has averaged 20.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists a game for both teams this season.
Real faith is holding blessings in one hand and suffering in the other hand, and trusting God to use both to accomplish His will. #BlessedSunday
— Tobias Harris (@tobias31) February 25, 2018
Harris hopes his hot shooting continues Saturday, when the 76ers will take the court again for Game 4 against the Nets. The game is set to tip at 3 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
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