Bucks’ Jrue Holiday Issues Props to Sixers Star James Harden
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The Philadelphia 76ers received a quality performance from their star guard James Harden on Saturday night. The Sixers’ ten-time All-Star has shifted his game, becoming a playmaker first this season, but Harden was back to his old ways in the outing against the Milwaukee Bucks.
In 39 minutes of action, Harden chucked up 26 shots from the field, the most he’s attempted this season. By draining 42 percent of his field goal attempts and successfully hitting on 56 percent of his threes, Harden produced a season-high 38 points in Milwaukee.
After the game, Bucks’ defensive standout Jrue Holiday discussed their strategy against the talented guard, which didn’t go according to plan.
“I think we made him drive left,” said Holiday. “We didn't really want him to get to that step back three.”
When Harden successfully puts his step-back three to work, he puts defenses in a tough position. Although Milwaukee worked to avoid it, Harden was feeling it on Saturday.
Of the nine three-pointers he attempted, four of Harden’s shots from long range were step-back jumpers. Three of them were successful.
While Milwaukee had to live with Harden’s tough makes, the star guard was finding success all over the floor, putting the Bucks’ defense to work in other areas of the court.
“He was making plays in the paint, he was getting to the free throw line,” Holiday continued. “I mean, it’s James Harden.”
Beyond his success from deep, Harden feasted from the field and the free-throw line. While he wasn’t finding much success with his long twos, going 1-3, Harden went 5-9 in the paint, keeping Milwaukee’s interior defense honest.
Then from the charity stripe, Harden knocked down all 11 of his free throws, which accounted for 29 percent of his scoring total.
“You know, he's great player,” Holiday concluded. “He’ll always be a great player.”
Harden’s stellar contributions throughout the game, especially in the fourth quarter, helped the Sixers climb back from an 18-point deficit to form a 133-130 win.
While the veteran guard has heard plenty of criticism over the last couple of seasons about how he’s taken a step back, a healthy Harden in 2023 proved on Saturday night that he’s still got it.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
