During a road halftime Saturday against the Miami Heat, it looked like the Philadelphia 76ers were poised for a loss. They were struggling to deal with the basketball, Joel Embiid was struggling both from the floor and from the free throw line, and it was the second night of a game in a row.
Luckily for them, Tobias Harris stepped up considerably to keep the Sixers afloat before Embiid woke up after halftime.
Harris had 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting and he knocked down all three triples in the first half. So, despite Embiid’s struggles and the shorthanded team, the Sixers were down just seven at halftime and they were able to rally and beat the Heat 109-98.
“Tobias saved us in the first half,” coach Doc Rivers said. “Without Tobias, I think he had 15 in the first half. Without that, we’re in trouble, so he kept us afloat, because this game could have slipped away from us three or four times, and he would make a shooting. Then Seth (Curry) started shooting and then Joel started. Once Joel started, everyone gets shots because you have to double up and once you do that we get shots open.
It was an effort the Sixers desperately needed. Philadelphia is so dependent on Embiid and if he doesn’t kick in, they need others to step in. Harris has been heavily criticized this season, but his effort in Miami on Saturday was one the team really needed.
“I was just trying to bring some energy out there,” Harris said. “I thought we were a bit too lax. So just be aggressive. Obviously I found 3 good looks. Teammates were able to find me and in the second half we just let that thing roll over.
It also helped the Sixers be able to play stellar defense in order to get the job done.
“Obviously we went down early, but we used our defense to get back into the game,” Harris concluded. “We stayed calm throughout the second half.”
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