I didn’t realize Gary Harris had 9 points when I took my first glance up at the scoreboard just five minutes into the game. Like everything he does on the court, Harris’s scoring in the first couple of minutes all came effortlessly and within the flow of the offense. His 9th point, however, almost seemed like a heat-check. He caught the ball at an awkward angle in front of the Phoenix Suns’ bench and took a fallaway jumper hitting nothing but net. I glanced up and sure enough, he had nine points on four shots.
He was just getting started. A step-back jumper, a dunk, a spot up three, a nifty reverse layup that got the crowd off of their seats, then a high-step to the rim for a layup pulled Harris to 20 – yes, TWENTY – first quarter points on just 10 attempts. It was probably the best quarter of Harris’s career so far.
He followed that up with more buckets in the 2nd quarter. In the third, the Suns started to key in on him, crowding his space on the perimeter and sending hard help. Harris responded by dishing out three beautiful assists. He finished with a career-tying 36 points on just 17 shots!
It’s hard to think that Garris had never scored more than 30 points until three weeks ago. Now the guy looks like one of the best scorers at the shooting guard position in the league while somehow managing to always stay in control and play within the flow of the offense. It’s amazing to watch a guy improve as much as Harris has right before our eyes. I think it’s safe to say that his enormous contract extension that he signed over the summer is beginning to look like a steal. Check out these highlights and let your friends know that you are a proud member of Gary’s army.
