Player grades: James Harden leads Sixers to Game 4 win over Heat at home

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to earn themselves a 2-2 split before the series shifts back to Miami for Game 5 while the Heat were looking for the huge 3-1 lead to take home with them. The Sixers had all of the momentum thanks in large part to the return of Joel Embiid who played a big role in Game 4.

The Sixers built an 11-point lead in the third quarter before the Heat battled back and made them sweat a little, but Philadelphia was able to come away with a critical 116-108 win. James Harden led the Sixers in this one with 31 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. That helped overcome a monster Jimmy Butler game as he had 40 points for Miami.

Embiid had 24 points and 10 rebounds, Tyrese Maxey added 18 points, Danny Green had 11, and Tobias Harris had 13 and four assists. Georges Niang had 10 off the bench.

Here are the player grades following the huge win:

James Harden: A

This was a tough start for Harden. The Heat harassed him every time he crossed half-court and he committed a few bad passes which threw the offense off a bit. He also picked up two fouls in the first quarter which sent him to the bench early. When he re-entered the game, The Beard did a solid job of being able to score as well as get his teammates involved. After the slow start, Harden was terrific in the fourth quarter in order to help the Sixers win this game. The shots he was making were a big reason why Philadelphia made that trade for him in February.

Tyrese Maxey: A-

The second-year guard out of Kentucky took his hot second half and carried it into this one. He was aggressive getting downhill when he had the opportunity and he stepped into a deep triple to give Philadelphia a spark early. He then made so many dagger looks in the second half in order to help the Sixers in a huge way. His continued maturation has been impressive to continue to watch.

Danny Green: A

Green continued his hot shooting when he knocked down a corner triple early and he then had a steal off an inbounds pass and an easy layup. He then knocked down a couple of more triples including one while being fouled that almost blew the roof off Wells Fargo Center. It is a big help when he is active like this in order to get the job done for Philadelphia out on the floor.

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Tobias Harris: B-

Like Harden, Harris was a victim of the whistle as he picked up two early fouls while trying to play aggressive defense. When he re-entered, he was aggressively attacking the smaller matchups Miami put on him and he was great when moving off the ball. He has been consistent all playoffs and this was just another example of that. The only issue in this one was the fouls he committed.

Joel Embiid: A

The Heat were switching on almost pick-and-roll to start the game and that left smaller defenders such as Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry on Embiid. The big fella feasted early on as he went to work in the paint. Also, with Miami missing backup big man Dewayne Dedmon, they went small and decided to use P.J. Tucker at center which led to more success for Embiid down low. He was terrific on the defensive end as well as he frustrated Bam Adebayo. The Heat big man only played well when the big fella was on the bench. He looked much more comfortable with the mask in this one.

Georges Niang: B+

It’s always good for the Sixers to have Niang out there due to his ability to score and make plays for offense, but he has such a tough time out there defensively due to his knee. He was able to finally get a couple of triples to drop to give Philadelphia some cushion in this one and he also had a tough layup to end the third which is always nice to see from him.

Matisse Thybulle: A-

It was good for Thybulle to enter the game and immediately knock down a corner triple. As is always the case with him, when he gets involved on the offensive end, that allows him to get into a groove and get energetic on the defensive end. He was a menace on defense in this game.

Shake Milton: C

When defended by Tyler Herro, Milton used his size and strength to be able to work his way into a good look. It’s always good when he is out there due to his ball-handling ability, but he also had a tough time on the defensive end.

Paul Reed: B

Bball Paul got caught on a Victor Oladipo pump fake to commit a foul, but he was his usual aggressive self around the basket. He was active in the paint and his defense was terrific all over the floor. He was available along the baseline too for easy looks at the basket.

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