The long-awaited debut of James Harden in a Sixers’ uniform finally came to fruition against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at Target Center.

It was a lopsided victory for Philadelphia as they beat down on Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves, 133-102. All eyes were on Harden, and he did not disappoint, putting up a double-double with 27 points and 12 assists, along with grabbing eight rebounds.

After the game, Harden was pleased with the performance but emphasized there is a lot more basketball left. “Tonight was a great start, but we have a long way to go, and we’ll do whatever it takes every single day to build great habits,” Harden said.

‘The Beard’ opened up a lot of things offensively for the 76ers in their first game after the All-Star break. He was able to create a lot of opportunities for others as he would draw double teams along with Joel Embiid.

Due to the attention the two superstars received, this provided many offensive chances for second-year guard Tyrese Maxey, who put up a whopping 28 points while shooting 12-of-16 from the field. Danny Green and Tobias Harris also benefitted as both guys hit two three-pointers.

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers mentioned the number of open looks the team had in his postgame press conference. “At halftime, we were shooting just 40%, but I thought we had a lot of great looks and just didn’t make shots. Also thought we kind of overpassed a little bit in the first half. In the second half, guys took the shots that came to them,” Rivers explained.

Philadelphia fans will get their first opportunity to watch Harden play at Wells Fargo Center on March 2 against the New York Knicks.

[Photo courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports]