Tobias Harris Climbs Out of Slump vs. Hornets
Going into Friday night’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers veteran forward Tobias Harris has been in a bit of a rut.
After returning from a one-game absence against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the final stop of the Sixers’ previous road trip, Harris shot just 2-8 from the field in 33 minutes of action. From then on, the shooting struggles continued.
In his previous four matchups before Friday’s game, Harris averaged 30 percent from the field and 20 percent from three while putting up just nine points per game.
On Friday, Harris made sure to bounce back.
“I was just taking advantage of opportunities,” said the veteran via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I thought we did a great job defensively, creating stops, and getting out in transition.”
In the first quarter, Harris knocked down both of his shots from the field. Had it not been for two early fouls he picked up, Harris would’ve spent more than four minutes on the floor to begin the game.
Despite getting into early foul trouble, Harris wouldn’t be knocked off his game. When he checked in for the second quarter, he went 3-5 from the field with two makes from beyond the arc, scoring eight more points before halftime.
Then in the third quarter, Harris took another four shots, knocking down 50 percent of his attempts. As the Sixers dominated in Charlotte, Harris and most of the other starters got the entire fourth quarter off. When Harris left the game, he finished with 18 points, making all but four of his shots from the field.
“I was able to find some good looks, some easy looks, be aggressive, and take advantage of it,” Harris finished. “All-around effort, great win for us, and we needed it. We got to do it again tomorrow.”
Harris and the Sixers are set to face the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night for the second matchup of a back-to-back.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
