De´Anthony Melton was an LA kid who rooted hard for the Clippers and not that other team in town. Melton sure had more fun beating the Lakers in Philly.
Joel Embiid had 38 points and 12 rebounds, Melton scored a career-high 33 points off the bench and the 76ers recovered after blowing a nine-point lead in the final 30 seconds of regulation to beat Los Angeles 133-122 in overtime on Friday night.
‘We will take the win,’ 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. ‘Usually when you give up a lead like that, to gather yourself and play well in overtime is rare.’
Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, left, tries to get past Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis had 21 of his 31 points in the fourth and finished with 12 rebounds, while LeBron James scored 23 points for the Lakers. James (sore left ankle) and Davis (illness) both missed a loss in Toronto on Tuesday.
James gutted out his injury but made only 9 of 22 shots and missed 7 of 8 3-pointers.
Russell Westbrook had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, joining Magic Johnson as the only Laker with a triple-double off the bench.
The Lakers were down 12 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in regulation but rallied on clutch buckets and costly fouls by the Sixers. James converted a three-point play with a minute left that pulled the Lakers to 115-110.
Austin Reaves buried a 3 with 12 seconds left that pulled the Lakers to 119-117 and got a tremendous rise out of the Lakers fans well represented in the crowd. Down 120-117, Reaves was fouled by Matisse Thybulle on a 3-point attempt. He made the first two free throws and missed the third.
‘I don´t know anybody that makes two and misses one,’ Reaves said. ‘It sucks to miss. I’m sure my mom will be frustrated with me for missing a free throw.’
Davis then was fouled by Tobias Harris with 3.7 seconds left. Davis missed one of two that made it 120-all and sent the game into OT.
‘It hurts, for sure, especially when you make the first one,’ Davis said. ‘I watched the tape trying to see what I did wrong. Obviously, I left it short.’
De’Anthony Melton #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball the Los Angeles Lakers
Melton shoots a three-pointer while being guarded by Lakers guard Russell Westbrook
The Lakers made 16 of 20 free throws in the fourth.
‘I felt like a football coach when the guy has a field goal,’ at the end, Rivers said. ‘I hope he misses one of the field goals. He did. We got it to overtime, which is an amazing statement. Really. That should never happen.’
The Lakers then missed their first nine shots of OT and were outscored 13-2. James Harden scored nine points in overtime and finished with 28 points and 12 assists.
Melton had a career game in the third alone with three steals, hit four 3s and he made all six shots in a 16-point quarter. He made eight 3s overall and had seven steals.
Embiid highlighted a wild first half with a 20-point first quarter of 8-of-9 shooting overall and two 3-pointers. Embiid actually scored as many points as the Lakers in the quarter when he led the Sixers to a 31-20 lead. Embiid´s eight baskets also matched the Lakers´ total.
He closed the quarter with a powerful dunk over poor Thomas Bryant that rattled into the second level of suites.
Embiid briefly went to the locker room at the start of the second and that left an opening for the Lakers. The Sixers traditionally struggle when Embiid is off court, not terribly surprising since he is the reigning NBA scoring champion.
But this was outing was particularly abysmal.
The Lakers went on a 13-2 run with Embiid on the bench, a run that wasn´t steadied until, yes, Embiid returned and hit a 3 for a 36-34 lead. The game then morphed into a 3-point shootout. The Lakers hit four, the 76ers made six and Philly took a 61-59 lead into the break.
Who kept the Lakers close in the half? It sure wasn´t James and Davis. Try Reaves, who hit two 3s and scored 15 points that kept the Lakers within striking distance. He finished with 25.
Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, left, goes up for a shot against Los Angeles Lakers’ Thomas Bryant
NETS 120, HAWKS 116
Kevin Durant scored 34 points, Kyrie Irving had 33 points and 11 rebounds and Brooklyn finished a seven-game homestand by beating Atlanta.
TJ Warren added 14 points and Ben Simmons returned from a four-game absence with a left calf strain with six points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Nets won for the ninth time in 12 games overall.
They hadn´t played seven straight home games since moving to Brooklyn a decade ago and they took advantage, losing only to the NBA-leading Boston Celtics while surging into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Trae Young had 33 points and nine assists for the Hawks, while Bogdan Bogdanovic rebounded from a miserable game at the Knicks two nights earlier with 31 points.
Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots the ball during the game against the Atlanta Hawks
PELICANS 128, SUNS 117
Zion Williamson capped a season-high 35-point performance with a 360-degree, one-handed dunk in the final seconds that upset Phoenix players, and New Orleans beat the Suns in a matchup of the top two teams in the Western Conference.
Players and coaches from both teams swarmed around one another angrily as officials frantically stepped in to separate them before both teams finally walked off opposite ends of the court, with Williamson gesturing triumphantly to roaring fans before disappearing down the tunnel to the locker room.
Jose Alvarado came off the bench to add 20 points for New Orleans, which had to hold on in the opener of a two-game series after the Suns hit 15 of their 22 3-pointers in the second half to erase a 16-point deficit.
Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 14 rebounds. The Suns (16-10) lost for the fourth time in five games to fall 1 1/2 games behind New Orleans (17-8) atop the Western Conference standings.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) completes a dunk against the Phoenix Suns
TIMBERWOLVES 118, JAZZ 108
D´Angelo Russell scored 20 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 13 rebounds in his return to Utah and Minnesota beat the Jazz.
Rudy Gobert was traded Minnesota over the summer. The French center spent his first nine NBA seasons with the Jazz.
Malik Beasley scored 23 points to lead Utah. Jordan Clarkson added 21 points and Mike Conley had 17 points and six assists in his first game back after being sidelined for nine games by a left leg injury.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell (0) takes layup against Utah Jazz
KINGS 106, CAVALIERS 95
Harrison Barnes scored 20 points, Domantas Sabonis had 18 points and 18 rebounds and Sacramento rallied to beat Cleveland.
Kevin Huerter made two 3-pointers in 56 seconds late in the fourth quarter, fueling a 21-2 game-ending run by Sacramento. The Cavaliers had held their largest lead at 93-85 on Caris LeVert´s 3-pointer with 5:40 remaining.
LeVert had 22 points, six rebounds and six assists for Cleveland, which had its seven-game home winning streak snapped.
Harrison Barnes #40 of the Sacramento Kings shoots a three-pointer against Cleveland
KNICKS 121, HORNETS 102
Julius Randle scored 33 points, RJ Barrett added 26 and New York beat Charlotte for its third straight victory.
Jalen Brunson had 11 points and 11 assists for the Knicks. They evened their record at 13-13.
Terry Rozier scored 24 points for Charlotte. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 22 points on his 27th birthday.
Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks shoot over Jalen McDaniels #6 of the Hornets
GRIZZLIES 114, PISTONS 103
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 20 points and four blocks and Memphis beat Detroit for its fifth straight victory.
Brandon Clarke added 17 points for Memphis, missing only one of his eight shots. Dillon Brooks had 16 points, and Ja Morant finished with 15 points and 12 assists.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pistons with 19 points, Marvin Bagley III scored 14 points, and Kevin Knox II and Isaiah Stewart finished with 13 points each.
Memphis Grizzlies Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) reacts after a three pointer against the Detroit Pistons
PACERS 121, WIZARDS 111
Buddy Hield scored a season-high 28 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 23 points and 11 assists and Indiana beat Washington.
Bennedict Mathurin added 18 points, Oshae Brissett 16 and Myles Turner 14.
Kristaps Porzingis led Washington with 29 points on 11-of-13 shooting. Kyle Kuzma added 27 points, and Jordan Goodwin had 19.
Buddy Hield #24 of the Indiana Pacers scores layup against the Washington Wizards
MAGIC 113, RAPTORS 109
Franz Wagner scored 34 points and Orlando turned to rookie Pablo Banchero in the final minutes to hold off Toronto after the Raptors had wiped out a 20-point deficit in the second half.
Banchero finished with 23 points and six rebounds. While Cole Anthony contributed 18 points off the bench.
Pascal Siakam had 36 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Raptors.
Franz Wagner #22 of the Orlando Magic scores the ball against O.G. Anunoby #3 of the Toronto Raptors
BUCKS 106, MAVERICKS 105
The Bucks overcame a 33-point effort from Luka Doncic to inch out a one-point victory in Dallas.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points and received some aid from center Brook Lopez who hit the game winning layup on a last second alley-oop that came off an inbound pass.
The Bucks win moves them within a game and a half of the Celtics for first place in the NBA Eastern Conference.
Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks plays defense on Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks
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