James Harden played hero for the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4, as his clutch three-point shot in overtime gave them the 116-115 win over the Boston Celtics.
The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t have the best showing in their first home game of their second round series against the Boston Celtics, losing 114-102. This came after a decisive 121-87 Game 2 loss in Boston. But in Game 4, the 76ers stepped up. Specifically, James Harden played the role that he did back in Game 1 — hero.
Harden forced overtime with 16.1 seconds remaining in regulation with a 12-foot floating jumper to tie the game up at 107 points apiece. The 76ers faced a scare after the Celtics took the 115-113 lead on a 28-foot three-pointer by Jayson Tatum, who looked to have pushed off of a defending Tyrese Maxey. That shot tuned out to be a non-factor, as with 19-seconds remaining, Harden hit this clutch shot from behind the arc to allow Philadelphia to retake a 116-115 lead.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla allowed his team to play through after Harden’s shot. But with the clock running out, Marcus Smart seemed to have hit a game-winning three pointer. After replay review, however, it was revealed that Smart let off his shot after the buzzer, securing the win for the 76ers to officially tie the series at two games apiece.
James Harden plays hero once again for 76ers with clutch Game 4 shot: Best memes, tweets
Let’s take a look at some of the reactions from Harden’s game-winner.
Back in Game 1, Harden hit a game-winning three point shot in Boston to give Philadelphia an early 1-0 series lead. Harden stepped up with Joel Embiid out due to injury, dropping 45 total points in that game. But in Games 2 and 3, Harden struggled, scoring a combined 28 points.
In Game 4, Harden stepped up when the 76ers needed him 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. Additionally, Harden recorded nine assists, eight rebounds and four steals.
The 76ers will now head back to Boston for Game 5 on Tuesday, looking to take a pivotal lead in the series.