Lakers beat 76ers 113-111 in OT

ByDAVE ZEITLIN Associated Press AP logo
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Los Angeles Lakers' Jordan Clarkson (6) shoots the game-winning basket over Philadelphia 76ers' Ish Smith (5) during the final seconds of overtime in an NBA basketball game.
AP-AP

PHILADELPHIA -- Jordan Clarkson scored 26 points and made the tiebreaking basket with 0.7 seconds left in overtime to lift the Los Angeles Lakers past the Philadelphia 76ers, 113-111 on Monday night in a matchup of two of the NBA's worst teams.

Jabari Brown finished with 22 points for the Lakers (20-53). Wayne Ellington added seven of his 20 points in OT, including a 3-pointer that put the Lakers up 111-105 with 1:25 left.

Rookie Nerlens Noel led the 76ers (18-57) with 19 points and 14 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the month. He scored six points in the final minute of overtime to tie the game at 111.

Philadelphia point guard Isaiah Canaan scored 18 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Ish Smith added 17, hitting a go-ahead layup with 31 seconds left in regulation that put Philly up 100-98.

But Clarkson tied the game three times in the final minute of regulation: at 98 with a running layup with 49 seconds remaining, at 100 with two free throws with 22 seconds left and at 102 with two more free throws with 11.1 seconds to play.

Smith missed a running layup at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.

The Lakers opened a 60-53 lead, their biggest of the game, with 7:50 remaining in the third quarter when Wesley Johnson finished an alley-oop from Clarkson.

But the Sixers went on an 11-2 run early in the fourth quarter to take an 85-81 lead and remained ahead until the final minute.

Both teams were playing short-handed. The Sixers were missing Jerami Grant (upper respiratory infection), Luc Mbah a Moute (left shoulder soreness) and Jason Richardson (left knee swelling), while Jeremy Lin sat out his second straight game for the Lakers because he wasn't feeling well.

Lin was averaging 21.2 points in his last four games before getting sick, including a 29-point outing in the Lakers' 101-87 win over the Sixers on March 22.

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TIP-INS

Lakers: The Lakers have won in their last three trips to Philadelphia. . Carlos Boozer was active but did not play for the fifth straight game. He had been dealing with an upper respiratory infection.

76ers: The Sixers have lost five of their last six. .Joel Embiid was dressed during warmups but didn't play. The third overall pick in the 2014 draft has yet to make his NBA debut.

UP NEXT

Lakers: Host New Orleans on Wednesday

76ers: At Washington on Wednesday