76ers: Tobias Harris’ Recent Scoring Stretch a First in His Career

Without Joel Embiid in the Philadelphia 76ers’ lineup once again, Tobias Harris stepped up to dominate the two-man game with the young emerging All-Star Tyrese Maxey.

While Harris has had his ups and downs at times throughout the year, his last two performances received a ton of praise from the Sixers’ home crowd on Friday night as the team dominated the Sacramento Kings.

According to Stathead, Harris’ 30-plus-point performance against the Kings on Friday night officially marked the first time Harris scored over 30 points in consecutive games. While it’s a shocking stat, considering Harris has been in the NBA since 2011, the veteran is looking to hit his stride at the right time.

Last week, Harris struggled mightily in the Sixers’ blowout loss against the New York Knicks. Before the game reached the fourth quarter, Harris was ruled out with ankle soreness. When the Sixers returned to the court the following night to face the Utah Jazz, Harris was ruled out.

On Wednesday, the Sixers opened up their weekly slate late with a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. During an overtime thriller, Harris knocked down 50 percent of his shots and all seven of his free throws to account for 32 points. It was just the second time Harris exceeded 30 points in a game this season and the first time since he did it on December 22 in the win over the Toronto Raptors.

Unfortunately, Harris’ contributions in Wednesday’s game against Atlanta didn’t help the Sixers find the results they wanted as they dropped their third-straight game. When they returned to the floor on Friday to take on the Kings, Harris upped the ante from his performance from earlier this week and helped lead the Sixers back on a winning path.

Friday’s game featured a season-high scoring showing from Harris, as he produced 37 points in 36 minutes of action. He teased a career-high night, as he was three points shy from a 40-piece, which would’ve exceeded the career-high of 39 points he scored as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers just months before he was traded to the Sixers.

Harris’ 2023-2024 season started off on a hot note, but he cooled down after the initial stretch. Heading into Friday’s game, Harris was averaging 17 points on 51 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

With his contract expiring after this year’s run, Harris is in the midst of one of the most important seasons of his career. Crafting back-to-back 30-plus-point scoring outings is a good way to get back on track after suffering an injury against the Knicks last week.