Skip to main content

What Doc Rivers Said About James Harden's Performance vs. Bucks

Doc Rivers gives his thoughts on James Harden's role in the Sixers' victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

On Saturday night, the Philadelphia 76ers took on the Milwaukee Bucks for the third time this season, trying to etch out their second win against their conference rivals.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez, and Jrue Holiday wouldn't make it easy for the Sixers, though, combining for 86 points across the four quarters, with Grayson Allen chipping in 20 points in the second half.

Yet, this wouldn't stop Joel Embiid and James Harden from having a night themselves, as the two became the second duo in Sixers' history to have a 30-point, 10-assist in the same game.

This came despite Harden struggling to find his rhythm on the court in the first half, shooting with 31 percent accuracy, and even showing signs of frustration over time as a result of this.

Doc Rivers praised Harden for his role in the team's come-from-behind win against the Bucks on Saturday night, emphasizing his aggressive play style.

"I thought James made great decisions, he was obviously a scorer tonight," Rivers said during his postgame presser. "The first half, I thought he was aggressive more trying to score. The second half, he scored, but he was aggressive, like an aggressive point guard, I thought the second half was better. He not only scored, but he assisted as well."

The Beard ended the night with 38 points and ten assists, with 23 of those points coming in the second half, where he shot an efficient 60 percent from the field and downtown while also setting up assists for his teammates.

Declan Harris contributes to All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @DecIanH.


For live updates on the Philadelphia 76ers, follow @All76ersFN on Twitter!