NBA: James Harden guides 76ers to OT win over Pacers
James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket against Andrew Nembhard #2 of the Indiana Pacers in the first quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on January 4, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images/AFP
James Harden had 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds as the host Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Indiana Pacers 129-126 in overtime on Wednesday.
Harden blocked Bennedict Mathurin’s reverse layup with 9.9 seconds left in overtime to help secure the Sixers’ third straight win. Indiana’s Buddy Hield (24 points, nine rebounds) misfired on a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer in OT.
Article continues after this advertisementMontrezl Harrell went 8-for-9 from the field and contributed 19 points and four blocked shots for Philadelphia, which won its 11th consecutive home game. Tobias Harris had 19 points and 10 rebounds, De’Anthony Melton put up 19 points and Tyrese Maxey added 17.
The Sixers played without Joel Embiid, who was sidelined due to left foot soreness.
jam3s hard3n. pic.twitter.com/8C92kjxnmS
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 5, 2023
Mathurin scored 19 points for the Pacers, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Jalen Smith had 17 points, and Tyrese Haliburton contributed 16 points and 12 assists.
Melton hit consecutive 3-pointers and the Sixers went ahead 50-44 with 6:11 left in the second quarter.
The Pacers closed within 56-53 with 2:24 remaining when Myles Turner dropped in a layup. Nembhard converted a three-point play on the next possession to tie the game.
Harris threw down a dunk with 3.4 seconds left and the Sixers led 66-61 at halftime. Harden anchored the Sixers with 16 points in the first half.
Philadelphia jumped out to an 86-75 advantage when Harden hit a tough floater in the lane with 4:15 remaining in the third quarter.
Haliburton made a layup, Hield added a trey from the wing and the Pacers quickly closed within six.
The Sixers used a late surge at the end of the third to take a 97-84 lead.
After the Pacers cut the deficit to 101-92, Georges Niang knocked down a 3-pointer with nine minutes left in the fourth.
Harden hit a difficult corner jumper with 5:21 left and the Sixers held a 112-103 lead.
The Pacers then ripped off a 10-0 run to move ahead by one with 2:58 to go on a Mathurin basket.
Turner’s layup with 57.7 seconds remaining gave Indiana a 120-116 advantage.
Maxey dunked, and after a Harden steal, Harris sank a layup with 6.7 seconds left to tie the game. Hield missed a shot at the regulation buzzer.
