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The smooth sailing through the James Harden era continues for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Philadelphia defeated the New York Knicks 123-108 during Wednesday's Eastern Conference showdown at Wells Fargo Center and improved to 38-23. It is also 3-0 with Harden on the floor, which left some speculating whether it is the team to beat in the Eastern Conference with the 10-time All-Star and Joel Embiid forming a dynamic duo.
Wednesday was Harden's home debut in front of the Philadelphia fans, and he even had franchise legend Allen Iverson welcoming him to the city.
The 76ers responded to the welcome with a balanced effort that saw all five starters score in double figures and the trio of Harden (26 points, nine assists and nine rebounds), Embiid (27 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks) and Tyrese Maxey (25 points, four rebounds, three assists) spearheaded the show.
Philadelphia sits in third place in the Eastern Conference standings and is just two games behind the top-seeded Miami Heat.
The Knicks are nowhere near the top of the standings at 25-37 following their sixth straight loss. RJ Barrett did what he could with 30 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Julius Randle added 24 points and six boards.
Still, it wasn't enough to prevent New York from dropping back-to-back games against Philadelphia and falling 4.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the final spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
Things won't get much easier Friday when the Knicks travel to face the Phoenix Suns on the same day Philadelphia hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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Harden and Embiid are generating most of the headlines in Philadelphia at this point, and for good reason.
After all, they are two of the best players in the league individually and have performed basketball artistry in three games together. The pick-and-roll brilliance is nearly unstoppable, and Harden is also consistently rewarding the big man when he gets out in transition.
Throw in their ability to get to the line with 23 combined free throws in Wednesday's win, and the duo is essentially unstoppable. Embiid even told reporters after the first win with Harden, "That was probably the most wide-open I've ever been in my career."
Yet the defensive attention on the pair will only increase when the playoffs roll around, which means Philadelphia will need a reliable third option to emerge and take advantage of the open looks created simply by playing alongside Harden and Embiid.
Enter Maxey.
If Embiid has been the biggest benefactor from playing with Harden, Maxey is next on the list. In three games with his new teammate, the Kentucky product is averaging 24.7 points while shooting a combined 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) from three-point range.
He torched the Knicks in back-to-back games with his speed on the fast break, his ability to shoot from the outside and his quick first step when attacking the rim. He is typically going to see the opponent's lesser backcourt defender when he shares the floor with Harden, and he has taken full advantage of the matchups.
While Tobias Harris figured to be the third option, Maxey has assumed the role instead. Even that is a positive, though, because Harris' track record as a proven playmaker suggests he will eventually adjust accordingly.
Add that to Maxey's emergence and the two superstars running the show, and Philadelphia looks the part of a legitimate championship contender.
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For all the consternation about the Los Angeles Lakers as the league's most disappointing team, they can at least take solace knowing they are in position to make the play-in tournament and could still make a postseason run.
The Knicks can't even say that.
Elevated expectations were in place for New York coming into the season after it made the playoffs in 2020-21 in front of raucous crowds at Madison Square Garden. A 5-1 start to this season did nothing to quell the excitement in the Big Apple, but things have fallen apart in dramatic fashion.
The six-game losing streak is part of an ugly 3-16 stretch that has plummeted the Knicks to the No. 12 seed in the Eastern Conference standings. The playoffs seem like a long shot at best, especially since Wednesday's loss was the first contest of a difficult seven-game road trip.
It's not all bad news, though, as Barrett seems to have turned the corner as a potential star in the making.
The No. 3 pick of the 2019 NBA draft was overshadowed by the first two picks in Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, who are both headliner names. However, the 21-year-old looks as comfortable as he ever has at the NBA level and continued his excellent stretch in Wednesday's loss by drilling three triples and attacking the rim.
The 28.3 points per game he averaged in February was the best mark of his career for an entire month, and he showed no signs of slowing down at the start of March even against an elite team in Philadelphia.
New York probably isn't going to make the playoffs, but the future at least looks a little bit brighter because Barrett seems to be coming into his own as a playmaker and building block for the franchise.
Top Takeaways from Julius Randle, Knicks vs. James Harden, Joel Embiid, 76ers - Bleacher Report
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