How James Harden Helped Tobias Harris Bounce Back vs. Knicks

The Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to Madison Square Garden for a Sunday afternoon matchup this past weekend. It was the second matchup Sixers guard James Harden took the floor with his new teammates.

As expected, Harden created a significant impact with the Sixers early on in Sunday's game. Through the first half, Harden scored 15 points in 18 minutes. He also snagged himself a double-double as he dished out ten assists.

In the second half, Harden was just as solid. He collected 14 points and six assists in 21 minutes. In the end, the star guard generated 29 points, 16 assists, and ten rebounds as the Sixers put the Knicks away with a 125-109 victory. 

Harden's production was surely key to helping the Sixers defeat New York. However, the ten-time All-Star's encouragement to one of his struggling teammates might've been the most significant contribution he had on Sunday.

Charging Up Tobias Harris

Sixers veteran forward Tobias Harris wasn't much of a factor for the Sixers for most of Sunday's matchup. In the first quarter, he took just one shot, which didn't fall. In the second quarter, he took two more shots that were unsuccessful. 

At the end of the first half, Harris had zero points in 16 minutes, which was a rare sighting for the forward who averages 18 points per game. 

It wasn't until the third quarter when Harris collected his first points. Although he still didn't make a field goal in the seven minutes he checked in coming out of halftime, Harris went 2-2 from the line to get his first set of points.

Just because Harris was hardly a factor for several quarters didn't mean the Sixers were going to shy away from him. In fact, they did the opposite. For the entire fourth quarter, Harris was on the floor as the Sixers were engaged in a tight matchup.

Harden, who claimed after the game that he's in Harris' ear "all the time" encouraging him, revealed that he told Harris to keep shooting regardless of the misses.

"There were opportunities where Tobias had four or five catch-and-shoot opportunities that he passed up and tried to dribble past somebody," said Harden. "That's the thing that I'm gonna stay in his ear about is he got those opportunities. I don't care if you miss 20 of them. Those are shots we need you to take because more times than not, you're gonna make those shots."

Harden echoed the same sentiment that Sixers head coach Doc Rivers has preached many times throughout the last two seasons. When Harris is making quicker decisions and avoiding putting the ball on the floor frequently, he finds much more success.

Late in Sunday's game, Harris turned it around thanks to the encouragement of his teammate. In 12 minutes, he went 3-4 from the field and knocked down two threes. Harris also was a perfect 2-2 from the line. He wrapped up the fourth quarter with ten of his 12 total points on Sunday. 

After leading Philadelphia in fourth-quarter scoring on Sunday, Harris helped the Sixers close out what looked like it was going to be a tight game down the stretch with a comfortable 125-109 win in New York. 

It seems he can thank James Harden a lot for the late-game encouragement.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.