James Harden Dishes Thoughts on Sixers’ Blown Lead vs. Knicks

The Philadelphia 76ers looked in rhythm to begin Sunday night’s game against the New York Knicks. Though the first 12 minutes of action, the entire team knocked down 63 percent of their shots, drilling 57 percent of their threes. And by holding the Knicks to 8-22 from the field and just 1-9 from beyond the arc, the Sixers possessed a 21-point lead early on.

While the Knicks were able to cut the lead down to 11 points before the second quarter, it was clear the away team was in control. It wouldn’t be long before the Knicks made it a tight battle, though.

And once the Knicks fired up the third quarter, they were able to get out in front in the opening minutes of the second half. At that point, it became clear the Sixers might be in danger of blowing their once 21-point lead on Sunday night.

“It’s difficult, man,” James Harden said after the game. “This league is so great, you know what I mean? When teams are shooting the ball well and, for us, playing defense well.”

After draining under 40 percent of their shots from the field, the Knicks hit on 50 percent of their third-quarter field goals and nearly 50 percent of their fourth-quarter shots. In crunch time, the Knicks lit the Sixers up from beyond the arc, converting on six of their 13 attempts en route to outscoring the Knicks 32-18.

Overall, the Sixers were outscored 57-44 in the second half. Although the Sixers were the much better first-half team, the tables turned in the second half as they struggled on both sides of the ball and lost the turnover battle.

“We had the momentum. Any team you are playing against, if you give a team confidence, individual confidence, and they continue to sustain that confidence, it is going to be difficult to slow them down,” Harden finished. “You had a great first quarter and second, but in the fourth quarter, it was just hard to get our rhythm back. You know they kept making shots, and in the fourth, it was difficult.”

The Sixers dropped Sunday’s game, collecting a 108-97 loss. While they keep their position in the Eastern Conference standings, the Sixers surely didn’t have many positives to take away from a tough divisional matchup against the Knicks.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.