Doc Rivers Takes Blame for James Harden's Lack of Late Production vs. Nuggets

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets were battling back and forth throughout the second half of their Monday night matchup in South Philly. With the

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets were battling back and forth throughout the second half of their Monday night matchup in South Philly.

With the game tying up eight times and the lead changing over seven times, the final results could've swung in either direction. The winning team on Monday night needed a surefire closer.

The Nuggets had one in their rookie guard Bones Hyland, who caught fire in the final 11 minutes. As the Delaware native got hot from three and knocked down four of his five long-range shots, Hyland accounted for 12 of Denver's 33 fourth-quarter points.

Meanwhile, the Sixers couldn't get anybody consistently going. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Georges Niang accounted for 15 of the Sixers' 20 fourth-quarter shots. James Harden, the team's most reliable shooter, took just two attempts.

Ironically, he was 2-2 from the field and 2-2 from the charity stripe, scoring six points in his final eight minutes on the court. Despite making everything with his limited attempts in the final minutes of the outing, Harden didn't go above and beyond to snag Philadelphia the win. 

After the Sixers took on a 114-110 loss to the Nuggets, Doc Rivers took the blame for Harden's lack of shot attempts in the fourth quarter.

Rivers Takes Responsibility

"I've gotta do a better job of getting him into the right places," said the Sixers head coach. "I felt that was part of the second actions. I felt that we had so many opportunities to swing it, swing it back to James, floor wide open, and before we get it back, someone drove it and shot it, so we'll figure it out."

In total, Harden took just 11 shots from the field against Denver on Monday night, trailing Embiid, Maxey, and Niang. While Rivers takes responsibility for the guard's lack of opportunities and production, Harden admits he's still a work in progress with the Sixers right now.

"I'm just trying to figure it out," Harden explained. "There's a lot going on, a lot of moving pieces throughout the game. Obviously, you've got Jo out there, trying to get guys shots, and in the midst of that, you've got to be aggressive. So, just trying to find that balance, it doesn't usually take me a long time, so I'm sure I'll figure it out soon. Just trying to find that balance of when to be aggressive and when to be a playmaker."

Even with a lack of shooting in crunch time, Harden still had himself a solid outing on Monday as he collected 24 points off of 11 shots and 12 free throw attempts. In addition, he produced 11 assists and came down with nine rebounds. 

Harden didn't have any problems creating points for Philadelphia's offense overall on Monday night -- the team just couldn't find ways to produce effectively when it mattered the most. That's something the Sixers will put an emphasis on moving forward after Monday's tough loss.

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