The Sixers finally saw James Harden again on Sunday in Los Angeles.
The team was victorious in their first matchup against the 10-time All-Star since trading him in a major deal at the start of the seasonearning a solid 121-107 win over the Clippers.
Tyrese Maxey had 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting, six assists and no turnovers.
Tobias Harris also scored 24 points. Cameron Payne added a season-high 23.
Harden finished with 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting and 14 assists. Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points and Paul George 18 for the Clippers, who fell to 44-26.
The Sixers were without Joel Embiid (left knee meniscus procedure), Kyle Lowry (rest), De’Anthony Melton (lumbar spine stress response), Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) and Kai Jones (right hamstring strain).
The Clippers were without Russell Westbrook (fractured left hand) and PJ Tucker (right calf soreness).
The 39-32 Sixers will finish their four-game road trip Monday night against the Kings.
Here are some observations from their victory in Los Angeles:
No more lid on the basket
Harris showed no reluctance to use the early jumpers at his disposal, scoring the first seven points of the afternoon on a corner three-pointer and two mid-range jumpers.
Harden got Los Angeles on the board by speeding left with a double drag action and making an and-one layup. He was guarded by Kelly Oubre Jr., who committed two fouls in quick succession but stayed in the game and had an excellent first quarter offensively. He regularly made the right play, hitting open teammates and knocking down two corner threes.
For the day, Oubre recorded 12 points and a season-high six assists.
A career 32.7 percent shooter from long range, Oubre had hit just 23 percent in his last 29 games. He had to bring down a few jumpers. Just like the Sixers, who scored only 18 points in the fourth quarter Friday night during their loss against the Lakers. They racked up 23 more in Sunday’s first quarter and started 8 of 10 from three-point territory.
Substitute Buddy Hield and Mo Bamba were among the Sixers to score a hat-trick in the first quarter. Bamba had an active and productive first stint, grabbing seven rebounds and blocking two shots in the first half.
Beautiful day for the bench without Batum
Payne was happy to help the Sixers shoot from the bench. He made a three-pointer and two free throws to increase the team’s lead to 50-33. The 29-year-old guard showed off his microwave scoring and confident, quirky play throughout the day.
With Lowry out, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse assigned a backup guard rotation spot to Jeff Dowtin Jr. The two-way contract player had three points, four rebounds and three assists.
KJ Martin had a good energetic outing against his former team. He turned out to be the only player traded by the Clippers in hardening the agreement will appear on Sunday.
Nicolas Batum, who had played in the Sixers’ previous seven games and been an important and consistent member of the rotation, did not see the court. The 35-year-old is playing with left foot soreness, so perhaps the Sixers thought it was best to give him the day off for the first leg of a back-to-back.
Batum had served as Late game emergency inbounder last month in a win over the Cavs. His services were not required Sunday.
The Clippers recognized Batum, Martin and Covington’s time in Los Angeles with an in-game tribute video.
The Sixers held a 37-20 advantage on the bench when the Clippers replaced their stars midway through the fourth quarter. Sixers sign new 10-day contract with DJ Wilson I entered during garbage time.
Maxey the best goalkeeper in the decisive sequence
As the Sixers know all too well, wins without Embiid don’t often come easy.
Facing a 63-46 deficit at the end of the second quarter, the Clippers went on a 16-0 run. After their torrid start, the Sixers made just one of their next nine three-pointers.
Oubre crashed into Clippers big man Ivica Zuba on a drive early in the third quarter and fell hard to the ground. He slowly got up and returned to the locker room with Sixers head athletic trainer Kevin Johnson. Fortunately for the Sixers, Oubre returned a few minutes later. The team regained a modest lead and Oubre made a spectacular play, sprinting in transition to deny a George dunk.
Much of Sunday’s contest wasn’t a true Maxey vs. Harden duel. However, when the Sixers put Maxey on the three-time scoring champ to start the fourth quarter, he was convincingly over a player who once mentored him on a daily basis.
“One thing he really (instilled) in me was confidence.” Maxey said about Harden on October 31. “And I’ve always been a confident person, but he made me more confident than I already was and all I can do is appreciate him for that.
“He took me under his wing, taught me a lot of things about being a professional in this league and how things are done, so I appreciate him, I love him. … I love that kind.
Maxey defended Harden strongly in the fourth quarter, applying high ball pressure on the floor at times, and Paul Reed (10 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals, two blocks) was rock solid in coverage falls. When Harden stepped on Maxey and drove downhill, Reed tied him up for a jump ball.
On the other side, Maxey drained two three-pointers, got past Harden and dropped a beautiful floater, and finished strong through contact. Before the Clippers seemed to know what hit them, the Sixers’ lead exceeded 20 points.
Harden and the Clippers will try to even the score when they visit Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
