LOS ANGELES (AP) — James Harden had 29 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, Joel Embiid added 27 points and 10 boards and the Philadelphia 76ers rolled to a 122-97 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
It is the first time since Harden was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster trade on Feb. 10 that the two All-Stars have had a double-double in the same game for the Sixers.
Harden had a monster first and second quarter, posting 25 points and 11 rebounds. It is the first time in his 12-year career he has done that in a half.
Harden and the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James are the only players in the league to have a double-double in a half in which they scored at least 25 points.
It is Embiid’s 38th double-double, which is tied for seventh in the league.
Philadelphia (46-27) has won three straight and four of its last five to pull within a half game of the Miami Heat for first place in the Eastern Conference.
Amir Coffey scored 21 points and Isaiah Hartenstein had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Clippers, who have dropped five straight, with the last three coming by at least 12 points.
The Clippers scored the first five points of the game before the Sixers took control with a 21-2 run in which Harden scored eight points and Matisse Thybulle added six. A pair of free throws by Harden extended the lead to 32-11 with 1:32 remaining in the first quarter.
The Clippers countered with a 17-6 run to get within 10, but Philadelphia responded with eight straight points to put it out of reach midway through the first half.
The Sixers had a 64-43 lead at halftime. Their largest advantage was 28 points during the fourth quarter.
WELCOME BACK
Sixers coach Doc Rivers — who led the Clippers for seven seasons — received a scoreboard tribute during the first timeout. It was the first time since Rivers was fired at the end of the 2019-20 season that he was able to receive applause from fans at a Clippers’ game.
“I waved at the end. I don’t know how you can have a video with a coach. Are you showing me getting a tech or getting thrown out of the game?” said Rivers, who is 2-2 against his former team.
TIP INS
76ers: Philadelphia is 19-10 against the Western Conference. … Thybulle had 13 points, Tobias Harris added 12 and Tyrese Maxey 11. … Embiid leads the league with 74 quarters this season where he has scored in double digits. … Harden became the 116th player in league history to reach 4,500 career defensive rebounds.
Clippers: Terance Mann had 12 points while Reggie Jackson added 11. … Rookie Brandon Boston Jr. missed the game due to a non-COVID illness.
UP NEXT
76ers: Conclude a three-game trip against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
Clippers: Host the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.
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More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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