The Philadelphia 76ers have been on top of their game for the most part of the season. Moreover, with their newly formed duo of Joel Embiid and James Harden, they dominated in their first few games together. However, their recent performances have raised a few eyebrows among the fans. After a thumping loss to the Nets, the Sixers took a win against the Orlando Magic. However, they were far from their best. And fans called them out for it.
Ever since the entry of James Harden, Embiid has become much more prominent at the free-throw line. While his game remains to be one of the best, he has struggled to get things going in the last two games. Leading the league in free throws per game, Embiid is a hard individual to guard. But both Harden and Embiid have not been able to maintain their own offensive game, scoring the majority of their points from the line.
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In the recent win against the Magic, the duo struggled yet again. While they got away with a win, fans were not pleased with what they saw.
Fans rip into James Harden and Joel Embiid
The 15th seed Orlando Magic put up a stellar performance against the Philadelphia 76ers. They drove the 2nd seed team to overtime. However, they fell short, with the Sixers outweighing them with their talent. Furthermore, their star duo wasn’t impressive in the overtime thriller. While Harden and Embiid did combine to score over 60 points, their struggles were right on the surface for all to see.
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The Philly duo struggled to get anything going for themselves. Scoring 28 of their 61 points from the free-throw line. Resulting in fans taking major shots at the newly formed duo.
https://twitter.com/iohandles/status/1503172237985300481?s=20&t=QgGmr7e9eQ5Yt5-NNjtU0w
Harden and Embiid had 32 FTs. 12 more the whole Magic *team*. WTF @NBA THAT’S BS!!! #NBA
— Hustle 87 (@chitownhustle23) March 14, 2022
14/47 shooting for Embiid and Harden against the worst team in the league 😂 needed a ton of fts to bail them out of course pic.twitter.com/7Noaliz3Yb
— Dairy Bird Enthusiast (@IAmMitchLang) March 14, 2022
Harden and Embiid have to be the worst duo to ever watch in nba history. Idc I would never want them on my team. EVER. They literally shot 9-28 and 5-19 and still had 35 and 26 points. That’s absurd man. I hate that so much.
— Sean Thompson (@Seanthompson_2) March 14, 2022
Y'all barely beat the magic in OT harden and Embiid aren't that good
— unvaried (@unvariedd) March 14, 2022
https://twitter.com/itsonly1meech/status/1503187667223203843?s=20&t=QgGmr7e9eQ5Yt5-NNjtU0w
Joel Embiid gets a ton of calls and he flops a lot… what a bitch. Pair him with Harden and you've got gun-3s-and-get-fouled basketball… boring. #PhuckPhilly
— The Pich' (@ThePich802) March 14, 2022
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Joel Embiid racked up the numbers in the overtime win against the Magic. He posted 35 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists. However, the MVP candidate shot just 32% from the field, leaving a huge void in their offense. Harden followed along the same route. Putting up 26 points, the Beard shot an abysmal 26% and shot half his points from the line. Tobias Harris kept the offense going sturdy, scoring 26 points on 10-18 shooting.
For the Orlando Magic, Wendell Carter Jr. came out to play. Finishing with 23 points and 12 rebounds, the big man shot over 50% on Joel Embiid. Cole Anthony also tuned in with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. However, it was their bench unit that delivered, putting up 51 points in the 116-114 loss.
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With the recent struggles of the Philly duo coming so close to the playoffs, do the Sixers need to be worried? Let us know in the comments below.