James Harden inexplicably runs onto court from the bench to steal the ball while it’s still in play

In one of the most confusing plays in the NBA this season, Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden decided to come off the bench while a game was going on.

The guard drew a technical foul after he ran onto the court and tried to steal the ball from Denver Nuggets guard Bones Hyland during the third quarter of the contest.

Harden’s antics didn’t harm the 76ers any more after that – with the Nuggets missing the free throws from the foul and an ensuing jump shot. 

Philadelphia 76ers point guard James Harden (1) had a wild moment in Saturday’s game

Harden came off the bench to steal the ball from the Nuggets in the middle of the third quarter

After the game was over, the video of Harden’s antics went viral – with some former NBA players wondering what happened.

Veteran big man and Milwaukee Bucks forward Serge Ibaka tweeted out: ‘My brother! @JHarden13 what are you doing?’ with multiple laughing emojis.

Harden replied, joking, ‘lil miscommunication, we got the W though’.

Harden addressed the incident on Twitter, chalking the moment up to ‘miscommunication’

In spite of Harden’s antics, the 76ers did prevail over the current Western Conference-leading Nuggets 126-119. 

Harden finished the night with 17 points, 13 assists and four rebounds in the win. Teammate Joel Embiid led all scorers with 47 points and 18 rebounds to his name.

Embiid’s MVP-rival on the Nuggets, center Nikola Jokic, put up 24 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds in the loss.

Harden finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds while Joel Embiid (21) grabbed 47 points in the win