The Philadelphia 76ers looked dead in the water on Sunday night in Indianapolis. They lost 20 points away from home without their best player, Joel Embiid, and it looked like they would go on without winning without the big star.
Then, Tobias Harris crashed, the team moved to a defense zone, and they were able to rally and beat the Indiana Pacers 119-110 for an impressive victory without the big guy. This was a game that they would surely lose in the past and it was mainly due to Harris’s refusal to let the Six lose in this one.
“That was great,” said coach Doc Rivers. “We executed our series of punches, punch-4. What I liked was that we did it on both sides of the floor. Our guys did it, it gives us space, I thought it organized us, and Tobias was very efficient. “
Harris finished with 27 points out of 10 out of 19 shots and he scored 10 in the fourth quarter to help the Philadelphia storm back in this one. This was the performance of an All-Star player and it was one that showed that he has this right mindset.
“It’s a winning mindset,” explained Harris. “I was there today to get buckets to help our team win and we started calling out a few sets for me to get in on the action and I was seizing the moment and the opportunity … For me, it’s just the fourth quarter, game, with Joel gone, just get somewhere and get a bucket for the team and come back. “
Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz and Dwight Howard also played a role in this victory. Thybulle was a threat in defense and Korkmaz was able to take down some huge kicks, while Howard was excellent off the bench, but Harris was still the main catalyst in the attack to get them going again.
“I said the other day, Tobias is putting on a show and I think we all just need to sit down and enjoy,” said Thybulle. “He is doing a great job and is doing everything we ask for him and more. He’s playing at both ends at a high level. “
With Embiid out, Harris was the team’s top scorer in this situation and Howard made sure he knew it when he got back on the court.
“Tobias joined the game and I went to him, I said ‘Hey, don’t settle, nobody can watch you on the floor. Go get buckets, ”explained Howard. “He did it. He didn’t calm down, attacked the basket, pressed the hoop, put pressure on the referees and made great plays.”
Howard added that he has a new nickname for Harris.
This was an impressive overall victory and Harris is definitely continuing to make a serious case for being on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Now, they need to move on and complete the strong journey on Wednesday against Charlotte Hornets.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!