How did Former Sixer James Harden Perform in Clippers Playoff Debut?

How did James Harden look in his Clippers playoff debut on Sunday?

Last offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers found themselves with another unhappy star player on the roster. After requesting a trade, Daryl Morey dealt James Harden to the LA Clippers for a package of veterans and draft capital.

Fast forward six months, and Harden is now helping the Clippers in their pursuit of an NBA title. LA finished fourth in the Western Conference standings this year, and are facing off against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in round one.

On Sunday afternoon, Harden made his playoff debut with his new team. He stepped in the absence of Kawhi Leonard, scoring a team-high 28 points to go along with eight assists. Led by this strong performance from Harden, the Clippers took down the Mavericks 109-97 in Game 1.

Harden ended up playing in 72 games for the Clippers this season after being traded from the Sixers. He finished the year with averages of 16.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 8.5 APG on 42/38/87 shooting splits.

As for the Sixers, dealing Harden to LA has had short and long-term positives. For starters, they are set to have a sizable amount of cap space this offseason. On top of that, acquiring draft picks makes them a threat in the trade market as well.

Robert Covington and KJ Martin didn’t have huge impacts for the Sixers this season, but Nic Batum has been a key member of the supporting cast. His outside shooting and passing at the forward position has made him an ideal complement to Joel Embiid in the front court.

Batum is fresh off arguably his best performance for the Sixers. In a crucial play-in matchup against the Miami Heat, he erupted for 20 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench.

Now, Batum is doing what he can to provide stability off the bench for Nick Nurse as the Sixers take on the New York Knicks in round one.