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Los Angeles (AFP) – Shooting guard James Harden, the new figure of the Philadelphia 76ers, debuted this Friday with 27 points in the resounding 133-102 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, while the Heat beat the Knicks despite the record game of young RJ Barrett.
Harden, traded on February 10 by the Brooklyn Nets, approached the triple double with 27 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds in 35 minutes of play in his new uniform.
The premiere of ‘La Barba’ allowed us to glimpse the devastating potential of the couple formed with his new partner, the Cameroonian Joel Embiid, who added 34 points and 10 rebounds on his own.
Philadelphia, third-ranked in the Eastern Conference, made a big bet on Harden on the final day of the transfer window, giving the Nets Australian Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks.
The guard, three times the NBA’s top scorer, aspires to reach his coveted ring with Embiid, who is in the best moment of his career and is one of the great candidates for the MVP award (Most Valuable Player).
For the Timberwolves, who had beaten the Memphis Grizzlies the day before, Dominican-American center Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and point guard D’Angelo Russell another 21.
Barrett shines with 46 points
In New York, the Knicks fell 115-100 to the Miami Heat despite 46 points from 21-year-old RJ Barrett.
In the entire history of the Knicks, only one other player, Carl Braun in 1947, had exceeded 40 points when he was 21 years old or younger.
Barrett, who also had 6 three-pointers and 9 rebounds, was able to further fatten his free throw scoring tally but ended up with a poor 14/22 stat.
Hours before the game, the Knicks reported that veteran Derrick Rose, who had been out since mid-December, had minor surgery on his right ankle. According to ESPN, the Knicks hope the point guard can return to activity in a week or two.
The absence of Rose, 33, joins that of fellow point guard Kemba Walker, who has agreed with the Knicks that he will not play again this season, in a move aimed at giving his young players more minutes.
One of them, rookie guard Quentin Grimes, had to retire in the first quarter of the match against the Heat due to a subluxation of the right patella.
For the Heat, who regained first place in the East, substitute shooting guard Tyler Herro added 25 points and center Bam Adebayo another 16 points and 16 rebounds.
Friday results in the NBA:
Charlotte Hornets – Toronto Raptors 125-93
Indiana Pacers – Oklahoma City Thunder 125-129 (prórroga)
Orlando Magic – Houston Rockets 119-111
Washington Wizards – San Antonio Spurs 153-157 (2 prórrogas)
New York Knicks – Miami Heat 100-115
Minnesota Timberwolves – Philadelphia 76ers 102-133
In Game:
Phoenix Suns – New Orleans Pelicans
Utah Jazz – Dallas Mavericks
LA Lakers – LA Clippers
© 2022 AFP
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