James Harden returned to the floor last night in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 116-108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. 

The win marked the 50th of the season for the Sixers and snapped a three-game losing streak. 

Joel Embiid led the Sixers in scoring with 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the floor. He added nine rebounds, three assists, a steal, and one signature block against Luka Doncic to seal the victory. 

Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points of 6-of-13 shooting from the floor, connecting on 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. 

Harden returned to the floor, scoring 15 points on a dismal 4-of-14 shooting from the floor to go along with 12 assist, four rebounds, and three steals. 

JAMES HARDEN: 15 PTS | 12 AST | 4 REB | 3 STL

Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on March 30, 2023.

After the game, Harden spoke with the media and told reporters that his sore left Achilles has been spiking as of late, but that he’s been dealing with pain for months. 

James Harden on Achilles Injury via Kyle Neubeck

“I don’t know where it came from. It’s been bothering me for some months, I would say,” Harden said Wednesday. “I just wanted to continue to play on it, and there was one point to where the last game I played, [it was] just really unbearable so I couldn’t even go out there. Six games left to finish the season off, finish off strong, then we get another week to prepare. I felt like tonight was the game to come back.”

“After the game, I went into the weight room and did some tendon-loading and things like that, for the Achilles, my lower body, my calves, things like that,” Harden said Wednesday. “Tomorrow I’ll do something, after the game Friday I’ll do something, it’s just [constantly] making sure I’m on it.”

Ummmm. Yikes? 

I look at this in one of two ways. Either Harden is actually hurt and batting through injury and setting himself and the Sixers up on the excuse train in the playoffs OR Harden is building himself up to be the hero, playing on a sore Achilles for the final six games of the regular season and into the playoffs. 

One is extremely dark. One is the heroic storyline that the people of Philadelphia desperately deserve. 

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