Sixers statement win over Bucks a reminder that season may hinge on James Harden

MILWAUKEE — After scoring 19 points in the final 12 minutes against the league’s best defense, orchestrating a 14-point fourth-quarter road comeback and snapping a 16-game winning streak, James Harden was rather matter-of-fact.

“That’s what I do, man,” Harden said. “I’m just very comfortable in those situations whether it’s playmaking, whether it’s scoring. I’ve been doing it for a long time.”

Harden has been playing at a high level for a long time and he will end up in Springfield. But since training camp began in Charleston, S.C., the biggest swing factor for the 2022-23 Philadelphia 76ers has remained the same: What gear can the 33-year-old guard, playing in his 14th NBA season, consistently reach? Essentially, how much does he have left in the tank?

The results have been encouraging. Harden might not have been selected an All-Star, but both his numbers and play have been All-Star worthy. His main role is a playmaker who force-feeds Joel Embiid in the pick-and-roll. When called upon, there have been enough flashes of the elite isolation scorer who set records in Houston to offer some hope.

Harden is going to be judged on how he performs on the biggest stages. The postseason, the true litmus test, is still over a month away. But as far as trial runs go, here was Harden’s performance on Saturday night: He finished with 38 points (11-of-26 from the field, 11 of 11 from the free-throw line), 10 assists, two turnovers and nine rebounds in a thrilling 133-130 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

“I thought James made great decisions,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said. “He was obviously a scorer tonight but he also was a point guard too.”

The Sixers (41-22) have their share of impressive wins. Some have come when the team has been short-handed, while others have come against elite opponents. This one certainly fell into the latter category.

Consider this: The Bucks not only have the league’s best defense, but they also shot 17 of 34 from beyond the arc on Saturday in Fiserv Forum. In a personal 20-point third quarter, Grayson Allen rained fire upon the Sixers. There was no Laddergate 2.0 this time around, as Giannis Antetokounmpo shot 16 of 18 from the line. Brook Lopez, likely the toughest two-way matchup for Embiid in the entire league, played the Sixers star to a relative draw.

The Sixers still found a way to win. Since the All-Star break, they have played six times. Four of them have been one-possession games in the final seconds against playoff teams, which the Sixers have split. It has been a week-plus of high-quality, stressful basketball.

So, what does this string of games mean?

“They’re important I guess but they’re more fun,” Rivers said. “They’re important because we came on the road, they were playing great, they had a streak going, we broke the streak … so, fun game, competitive game. Both teams wanted the game.”

For better or worse, Rivers is not the type to dwell on…