Celtics, Nuggets seek 3-1 series leads over 76ers, Phoenix

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — James Hardenshowedin Game 1he could still be as great once as he ever wasin his prime. The Beard just overall these days isn’t as great ashe once was in his halcyon days with Houston.

Harden’soccasional big postseason games for the 76ers — like the 45 pointshe dropped against Boston in a Game 1 win — now come with immediatefallout.

LikeGame2, when Harden shot 2 of 14 in a loss.

OrGame3, when Harden had 3-for-14 shooting for 16 points in, yes,another loss.

For thosekeeping score at home, Harden’s 5-for-28 shooting the last twogames is the worst for him over any two-game span in his career —that includes regular season or playoffs — in which he’s attemptedat least 20 shots.

Yikes.

It’s nowonder the Celtics hold a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conferencesemifinals ahead of Sunday’s Game 4 in Philadelphia. It’s also nowonder why the whispers have grown louder that Harden wants tofinish his career with the Rockets. Lose Game 4, and it could bethe last one in Philly for Harden — and with more games like thelast two, would the Sixers really be that crushed to see himgo?

Hardenbrushed off concerns about his play, especially his odd Game 3tendency of passing on open looks.

“I’m prettygood on basketball instincts,” Harden said. “I know when to score.I know when to pass, so I’m pretty sure a lot of it was the rightplay.”

Harden tooka so-called discount (opting out of a $47.4 million deal thisseason to sign a more team-friendly extension) to chase achampionship with reigning MVP Joel Embiid and the Sixers. The10-time All-Star has a $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24season and he will likely decline it and chase more riches inanother market.

Maybecircumstances change if the 76ers get past Boston and make a deeprun.

“It’s up tohim to figure out how to best help us,” Embiid said. “He’s fine.Sometimes you make them and sometimes you miss them. He made a lotof shots in Game 1. The last few games they haven’t been going in.I have the trust in him to keep telling him to be aggressive andkeep shooting.”

But historyis against Philly. Not just NBA history — teams that win Game 3when a playoff series is tied 1-1 go on to win the series 73% ofthe time — but rivalry history. The Celtics eliminated the 76ers inthe playoffs in 2020, 2018, 2012, 2002 and 1985. The Sixers haven’tbeat the Celtics in the playoffs since 1982 — a year before theSixers won their last NBA championship.

KevinDurant, Harden’s former teammate during an ill-fated run inBrooklyn,scored39 pointsand the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets121-114 to cut Denver’s lead to 2-1 in their Western Conferencesemifinal series. Devin Booker scored 47 points, shooting 20 of 25from the field, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, to keep theSuns alive headed into Sunday’s Game 4 in Phoenix.

CELTICS AT76ERS

Celticslead 2-1. Game 4, 3:30 p.m. EDT, Sunday, ESPN

-- NEED TOKNOW: The 76ers are in trouble. Embiid is still achy, Harden isstruggling and the Celtics clearly have Philly’s number. TheCeltics went 3-1 against the 76ers in the regular season and seempoised to repeat the feat in the playoffs. Not even the emotionalcarryover from Embiid’s MVP ceremony helped the Sixers, as theyquickly fell behind by 10 and never had the juice to fullyrecover.

— KEEP ANEYE ON: Jayson Tatum. He watched Embiid’s ceremony from the lockerroom and said it “kind of got me really ready to play.” He scored ateam-high 27 points after he was held to just seven points in Game2. Tatum scored eight points only 4 minutes into Game 3. If hecontinues to play like he did in Game 3 — while teammate JaylenBrown continues to harangue Harden — it could be another big dayfor Boston.

— INJURYWATCH: Grant Williams said he still hurt from taking an accidentalboot from Embiid to the back of his head. Embiid isn’t 100% yet ashe plays through a sprained right knee.

— PRESSUREIS ON: 76ERS. The 76ers grabbed the early edge with a Game 1 win inBoston that earned them home-court advantage. They gave it rightback in two straight losses where they’ve mostly looked out ofsorts against the Celtics.

NUGGETS ATSUNS

Nuggetslead 2-1. Game 4, 8 p.m. EDT, Sunday, ESPN

— NEED TOKNOW: The Suns won their first game of the series in Game 3 thanksto another huge effort from Devin Booker, who scored 47 points on20 of 25 shooting. Kevin Durant added 39. They’ll probably need asimilar effort to win Game 4 considering 12-time All-Star pointguard Chris Paul is expected to be out once again with a strainedgroin.

— KEEP ANEYE ON: The Jokic-Ayton matchup. Denver star Nikola Jokic hadanother huge game in Game 3 with 30 points, 17 assists and 17rebounds. On the other hand, Ayton had arguably the worst game ofhis playoff career with just four points and nine rebounds in 26minutes. Ayton was so ineffective that the former No. 1 overallpick was benched in favor of Jock Landale in the fourth quarter.The Suns still won but that’s a trend that probably can’t continueif Phoenix is going to win the series.

— INJURYWATCH: Outside of Phoenix’s Paul, both teams are relativelyhealthy.

— PRESSUREIS ON: Booker. The three-time All-Star is averaging more than 36points per game in these playoffs and its fairly clear that he hasto continue his Hercules-style production if the Suns hope toadvance.