There was little love lost when James Harden forced his way out of the City of Brotherly Love last November.
When Harden refused to show up during the preseason then refused to play in the regular season, the Sixers swallowed hard and sent the former MVP to the Clippers in a seven-player deal that arguably changed the fortunes of both teams.
“He got what he wanted,” former teammate Joel Embiid said.
On Sunday, the teams met for the first time since the trade. And even with Embiid, the reigning league MVP, home recuperating from knee surgery, the Sixers got a measure of revenge, spoiling Harden’s reunion with a 121-107 victory at Crypto.