James Harden played the hero for the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4, as his clinching three-point shot in overtime gave them a 116-115 victory over the Boston Celtics.
The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t fare better in their first home game of the second round series against the Boston Celtics, losing 114-102. This followed a decisive 121-87 loss of Game Two in Boston. But in Game 4, the 76ers rallied. Specifically, James Harden played the role he played again in Game 1 – the champ.
Harden forced overtime with 16.1 seconds left in the system with a 12-foot float jump to tie the match at 107 points apiece. The 76ers had a scare after the Celtics took a 115-113 lead on a 28-foot three-pointer by Jason Tatum, who appeared to be pushed off defenseman Therese Maxey. This shot was set to be inoperative, as with 19 seconds remaining, Harden hit this clutch shot from behind the arc to allow Philadelphia to regain a 116-115 lead.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzola allowed his team to play after Harden’s shot. But with time running out, Marcus Smart seemed to hit a game-winning three-pointer. After a review of the replay, it was revealed that Smart fired his shot after the buzzer, resulting in a 76ers victory to officially tie the series at two games apiece.
James Harden plays hero again for 76ers with clutch Game 4 shot: Best memes and tweets
Let’s take a look at some of the reactions from Harden’s winner.
Returning to Game 1, Harden hit the game-winning three-point shot in Boston to give Philadelphia an early 1–0 lead. Harden stepped up with Joel Embiid out with an injury, dropping 45 points in that game. In Games 2 and 3, however, Harden struggled, scoring a career-high 28 points.
In Game 4, Harden stepped up when the 76ers needed him the most.
Overall, Harden scored 42 points while making 16 of 23 field goal attempts and 6 of 9 three point attempts in 47 minutes of playing time. In addition, Harden recorded nine assists, eight rebounds and four steals.
The 76ers will now return to Boston for Game 5 on Tuesday, looking to take the lead in the series.