The Sixers’ James Harden is on pace to pass Reggie Miller on the all-time three-pointers list

James Harden can move into third place on the NBA’s all-time three-point list Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 76ers point guard has made 2,557 three-pointers over his 13-year career. He’ll enter Friday’s game three shots behind Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, who made 2,560 over 18 seasons.

Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry took an all-time record of 3,093 three-pointers into Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Curry overtook Hall of Famer Ray Allen (2,973) for the lead on Dec. 14. Harden (taken third overall) and Curry (seventh) were both selected in the 2009 draft.

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“[Third] all-time in NBA history, that’s definitely a huge accomplishment,” Harden said. “I think No. 1 is definitely going to be hard to catch. You’ve got the best shooter that ever touched a basketball in Steph. But that realm from Reggie to Ray to Kyle Korver [fifth on the list at 2,450], I mean those are some unbelievable shooters that we all witnessed shoot the basketball at a high level.

“So I’m blessed, I’m fortunate to be on that list, high on top of the list. And I’ll do whatever it takes to try to catch Steph. [It’s] going to be] difficult, man.”

Knowing the pace that Curry has maintained behind the three-point line, Harden chuckled when he talked about catching the Warriors guard. But surpassing Miller on Friday is attainable.

Harden has played in three games since being acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in a trade on Feb. 10. He made five three-pointers in his Sixers debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. Then Harden had three three-pointers against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday before making two against the Knicks in Wednesday’s home debut. He’s averaging 3.3 three-pointers per game this season.

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What does being in position to make history say about Harden?

“Just excellence,” coach Doc Rivers said. “He’s had an amazing career. ... People forget James came [into the NBA] as a passer. No one thought he was an offensive player when he first came in. Clearly no one thought he was the offensive player that he turned into when he went to Houston.

“So in some ways, he got a late start on it. He took a couple of years before he told us he could really play offense. But he’s caught up quickly.”

Harden played his first three seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He averaged a then career-high 16.8 points and won the 2012 Sixth Man of the Year award in his final season. Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets on Oct. 27, 2012, and turned into a high-scoring, perennial All-NBA selection.

Harden racked up accolades in Houston, including the 2018 MVP, three scoring titles, six All-NBA first-team selections and eight All-Star appearances. He was traded to Brooklyn on Jan. 13, 2021, and garnered two more All-Star selections and became one of 11 active players named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team.

“He’ll get Reggie’s record at some point, right?” Rivers said. “But between him and Steph, they definitely have taken the most difficult threes, too. It’s not just they’ve made threes. They both have made really hard threes. It’s amazing how they shoot the ball.”

Friday’s matchup will with be the first of a telling home and away back-to-back. The Eastern Conference’s third-place Sixers will look to beat the fifth-place Cavs (36-26) for the second time is as many meetings this season. Then on Saturday, they’ll face the first-place Miami Heat at FTX Arena. It will mark the second of four meetings against the Heat (41-22). The series is tied at 1-1.

The Sixers’ first three games of the Harden era came against a lackluster defensive squad in the Timberwolves (34-29) and the struggling Knicks (25-37). Wednesday marked New York’s sixth straight loss and 16th defeat in its last 19 games. So after getting off to a 3-0 start with Harden, things are about to get tougher.

“For us, every game is going to be tough,” Harden said. “We’re new. We’re still pretty new. So we’re still learning each other. So every game is going to be a learning experience for us. We’ve just got to find ways to continue to clip away, continue to get better, win or lose. Obviously, it’s better when you win to figure it out.

“But is going to be a great test for us and we’re looking forward to it.”