Although Boston defeated Philadelphia 126-117 at the TD Garden on Tuesday night, 76ers guard James Harden clinched the headlines with his impressive moves as he dropped Celtics guard Marcus Smart on the floor before shimmying at the ARC during the NBA 2022-23 regular season opener.
Both Celtics and 76ers displayed a tremendous game as they managed equal points at the end of the first half, however, Jayson Tatum's 17-point third quarter helped Boston to take a 10-point lead with just one quarter remaining.
With under three minutes remaining in the second quarter, James Harden made Marcus Smart sliding on the floor with his signature crossover. The 76ers guard then shimmied before throwing a brick from the three-point line.
Watch Harden's shimmy, brick and Smart's flop from different angles:
James Harden led the 76ers scoring with 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while Joel Embiid scored 26 points and made 15 rebounds and five assists. Apart from them, 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points and forward Tobias Harris registered 18 points, however their efforts felt short as Celtics star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for a whopping 70 points.
Tatum became the second only Celtics player to drop 35+ points and 10+ rebounds in the first game of the season after Paul Pierce, who did it in November 2004. 76ers will next host Milwaukee Bucks at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on October 21.
