With 21 points in the Sixers’ win over Toronto yesterday, Tobias Harris did Tobias Harris again. More to be surprised by the Philadelphia forward, who has shown great consistency since the start of the season while the three Sixers stars Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey have all missed a number of games.
Reception of the Raptors last night therefore, with the Dinos in distress coming out of a series of five losses when they arrived in Philly, not the ideal place to face these 76ers. And if Pascal Siakam found himself very lonely (38 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists for the interior of Toronto), Joel Embiid for his part was able to count on Tobias Harris. The winger signed a more than convincing match sheet, with 21 points at 7/9 shooting including 5/7 from afar. Among them, the last three points of the match on a winning shot, thus giving the victory to the 76ers 104-101 in a particularly ugly overtime (5-2).
“Tell a friend to tell a friend that I’m a sharpshooter” – Tobias Harris
21 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL
7-9 FG, 5-7 3PT#BrotherlyLove | #TobiasHarris pic.twitter.com/gGiJeLfgbZ— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) December 20, 2022
“Tell a friend tell a friend I’m a sniper.”
The quote is insanebut it’s probably less crazy than leaving a shooter spinning at almost 42% remotely (on more than five attempts per game) wide open with two minutes remaining in overtime.
Because yes, Tobi is lethal in corners this season, and the Raptors are not the first to pay the price. Long criticized for his contribution deemed too low given his big contract ($ 180 million over 5 years in 2019, including 37.6 million this season), Tobias Harris has the merit of being super regular in a season that has already seen several areas of turbulence with the Sixers. Embiid has missed games, James Harden has missed several weeks, and Tyrese Maxey is not expected to return until 2023. So having a player who has been shooting at almost 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal per night for a month, which more is 50-40-90 in terms of percentages, it feels a lot of good.
Overall, the mood is currently good in Pennsylvania. Joel Embiid has been a hit since his return to the courts (even surpassing Luka Doncic as the NBA’s top scorer, 33 points per game), James Harden is picking up the pace (21.6 points and 11.2 average assists over the six last games, 39.6% from afar), and the victories are linked: 5 in a row, 7 in 10 games, all for a place in the Top 5 of the Eastern Conference.