James Harden’s résumé and the 15 days between being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers and playing in his first game created extremely high fan expectations for his debut Friday night.
And Harden didn’t disappoint in a 133-102 road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, finishing with 27 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field (5-of-7 on 3-pointers), to go along with 12 assists and eight rebounds in 35 minutes. He had a game-best plus-minus figure of +35.
Second in the NBA this season with an average of 10.2 assists, Harden seemed content to try to get his teammates involved more than look for his own scoring opportunities. Perhaps his best assist was a no-look pass to a cutting Tyrese Maxey for a layup midway through the second quarter.
“I can be a playmaker,” Harden said. “I can be a scorer (and) just take the shots when I need to.”
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The left-handed Harden’s first basket came on his first shot 3:17 into the game. He beat Anthony Edwards with a left-to-right crossover dribble and converted a driving layup and the accompanying free throw. Another highlight in his 17-point first half on six field goal attempts was swishing a stepback 3-pointer in the final minute of the second quarter, along with the ensuing foul shot.
Star center Joel Embiid, the NBA’s leading scorer with a…
