With 21 points in the Sixers’ victory over Toronto yesterday, Tobias Harris did it again Tobias Harris. More surprising the Philadelphia forward, who has shown great consistency since the start of the season while the three stars of the Sixers Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey have all missed several games.
So the Raptors reception last night, with the struggling Dinos coming off a five-game losing streak when they arrived in Philly, not the ideal place to face these 76ers. And if Pascal Siakam found himself very alone (38 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists for the inside of Toronto), Joel Embiid for his part could count on Tobias Harris. The exterior signed a more than convincing chronicle, with 21 points on 7/9 shooting, of which 5/7 from distance. Among them, the last three points of the game on a winning shot, thus giving the victory to the 76ers 104-101 in a particularly bad overtime (5-2).
“Tell a friend to tell a friend I’m a sharpshooter” – Tobias Harris
21 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL
7-9 FA, 5-7 3PT#Brotherly Love | #TobiasHarris pic.twitter.com/gGiJeLfgbZ— Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) December 20, 2022
“Tell a friend tell a friend I’m a sniper.”
The quote is crazybut that’s probably less crazy than leaving a shooter spinning almost 42% remotely (on more than five attempts per game) wide open with two minutes left in overtime.
Why yes, Tobi is lethal in the corners this season, and the Raptors aren’t the first to pay the price. Long criticized for his contribution deemed too low given his large contract ($ 180 million over 5 years in 2019, including 37.6 million this season), Tobias Harris is credited with being a super regular in a season that has already seen several patches of turbulence with the Sixers. Embiid has missed games, James Harden has missed several weeks, and Tyrese Maxey isn’t expected to return until 2023. So to have a player who was shooting nearly 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal per night for a month, that’s more 50-40-90 in terms of percentages, it feels very good.
Overall, the mood is currently good in Pennsylvania. Joel Embiid has been a success since his return to the field (even surpassing Luka Doncic as the NBA’s leading scorer, 33 points per game), James Harden is picking up the pace (21.6 points and 11.2 assists average in the last six games, 39.6% from distance), and the victories are tied: 5 in a row, 7 in 10 games, all for a place in the Top 5 of the Eastern Conference.
