76ers’ Harris: ‘Obviously, the last two games have felt really good’

Before Friday night’s 31-point performance in a win over the Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris was in a funk. Harris averaged 10.7 points per contest on 32% shooting from the field in the first four games following the All-Star break.

On Sunday, Harris had his second straight solid performance as he scored a team-high 28 points, and the 76ers would get their second straight win after defeating the Mavericks 120-116 at American Airlines Center.

Without an injured Joel Embiid, the 76ers need Harris to be at his best, and Harris is hoping to keep the flow he had in the last two games going.

“[I’m] just finding a good balance out there,” he said. “I’m figuring out different ways to slow the game down, get to my spots, and be able to make the shots. I play with confidence. But overall, I am doing a lot of the little things. [I’m] just going out there with high energy and making an impact whichever way I can. Obviously, the last two games have felt really good. I just want to continue that type of flow and that pace.”

Tyrese Maxey, who added 24 points against the Mavericks, believes Harris will keep playing well after his mini-slump.

“It was great. Tobias was Tobias,” Maxey said. “Funks happen, it happens you know. I think one thing that he does is stay even-keel. He’s “Even Stevens” all the time and he stays really focused even when he’s not shooting the ball great. But he’s been great the last two games, and I expect him to keep it going.”

76ers head coach Nick Nurse thinks Harris is best when playing without “hesitation.”

“I think you guys probably saw he was quick [with his] decision-making,” Nurse said. “When he got it out, swung to the corner, I mean, it was hitting his hands and up. He was ripping and driving to make the next play. I think that to me shows you that he’s making the right reads and playing with no hesitation. That’s what we need.”

It’s no coincidence that the 76ers are winning when Harris is at his best, and with the way things are bunched up in the East right now, where the fifth-seeded 76ers are currently one game up on the seventh seed, the Miami Heat, Philly needs Harris to continue to play well so they can avoid the Play-In Tournament. 

76ers get back at it on Tuesday night when they travel to Brooklyn to face the Nets.