James Harden, Joel Embiid Looked ‘Good, Not Great’ vs. Mavs

For the first time in a few games, the Philadelphia 76ers entered their Wednesday night matchup against the Dallas Mavericks with everybody healthy and available as Joel Embiid and James Harden were cleared for action after going through pregame warmups and feeling fine.

Lately, Harden’s been dealing with Achilles soreness, which caused him to miss four-straight games. As for Embiid, calf tightness held him out just for Monday’s game against the Denver Nuggets.

While it seems both players are battling through their minor setbacks, they managed to make it through Wednesday’s game without dealing with any further concerns.

How did they look in the process, though?

“They looked good, not great,” said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers. “But that’s one game. Especially James. I thought as the game went on, he got better.”

Missing four games worth of action made it clear that Harden could be battling through rust in Wednesday’s game. His slow start was apparent as he went 0-4 from the field and turned the ball over twice in 12 minutes of action.

From that point on, Harden got his legs back. He competed for a total of 38 minutes. While he struggled with his shooting for the most part, Harden wrapped up the night with 15 points, 12 assists, three steals, and four rebounds.

After the game, Harden revealed that he’s been dealing with Achilles soreness for months. While he doesn’t seem to be one-hundred percent healthy at this time, the star guard is healthy enough to play.

As for Embiid, he got off to a quicker start than anybody probably expected. The big man checked in for 33 minutes and knocked down eight of his 17 shot attempts. Embiid would finish the night with 25 points, nine rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block.

The big man acknowledged he didn’t have one of his better outings on a personal level, but he was happy to help his team get the win while avoiding any further setbacks.

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

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