NBA
Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and James Harden are the first pair of teammates to win the scoring title and assist title in the same season since 1981-82
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated10 Apr 2023
The Philadelphia 76ers ended the 2022-23 regular season with one of the four most efficient offenses in the entire league. That is in large part because of Joel Embiid and James Harden. Embiid is on his way to winning his first league MVP and back-to-back scoring titles. Harden’s (10.7) assists per game led the league this season. They are the first teammates since 1981-82 to win the scoring and assists title in the same season.
After a strong regular season, the 76ers locked in the #3 seed in the East playoffs and will face the Brooklyn Nets in the opening round. Leading the way for Philly in the playoffs is going to be the tandem of Joel Embiid and James Harden. Both are All-NBA caliber players this season and can be credited with the success of the Sixers in 2022-23.
Their first playoff game is this Saturday at 1:00 pm EST when they face the Brooklyn Nets. That game will air nationally on ESPN. Pennsylvania Sports Betting sites have the 76ers at(+1000) to win the Finals this season.
Joel Embiid led the NBA in points per game and James Harden led the NBA in assists per game.
They are the 1st pair of teammates to win the scoring title and assist title in the same season since George Gervin and Johnny Moore in 1981-82. pic.twitter.com/zAnm8kfQgb
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 10, 2023
Joel Embiid and James Harden lead the league in scoring and assists this season
Joel Embiid’s (33.1) points and James Harden’s (10.7) assists led the league this season. They are the first teammates since George Gervin and Johnny Moore in 1981-81 to do that. It’s been a dominant season for both Embiid and Harden and they will look to carry that success into the postseason.
Philly’s big man is the first Sixer since Allen Iverson in ’00-01 and ’01-02 to lead the league in scoring in back-to-back seasons. He’s also the first center to do so since Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo in 1973-74 through 1975-76. Embiid dominated the NBA this season and he’s rightfully deserving of winning his first league MVP.
This will be James Harden’s second time in his career that he is the league’s assist leader. His (11.2) assists led the NBA back in 2016-17 and (10.7) is good enough to lead the league this season. In a close second place was Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton with (10.4) per game. The Sixers will open up their first round of the playoffs on Saturday vs the Brooklyn Nets.
