In a battle between two lottery bound teams, the Los Angeles Lakers were able to escape with a two-point victory against the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime at the Wells Fargo Center.

Jordan Clarkson drained a layup with 0.7 seconds left on the clock after receiving a beautiful shovel pass from Wayne Ellington to seal the deal. The Sixers had no timeouts left as they fired up a full court heave and missed.

Clarkson added yet another magnificent performance to his rookie campaign. He scored 26 points, dished out a career-high 11 assists, grabbed six rebounds, and came away with three steals in 44 minutes of play. He also hit four clutch free throws in regulation to force overtime and shot an efficient 9 of 15 from the field.

Jordan Clarkson continues to showcase his full potential with the heavy minutes he is earning right now and is certainly going to be a big part of Los Angeles’ future.

Speaking of young talent, Philadelphia’s rookie Nerlens Noel continued his fine play as well, recording a double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds. He did, however, miss five free throws, two of which were late in overtime but made it up with a four-foot jumper that tied the game at 111 before Clarkson hit a game winner.

The Sixers jumped out to a quick start, taking an 11-point lead by the end of the first quarter. After the first period, the Lakers started climbing back into the game. They used an 8-0 run midway through the second stanza to tie the game at 36.

The two teams seesawed back and forth the rest of the way, which eventually led to the extra frame. During overtime, Wayne Ellington took over offensively for the Lakers, scoring seven points on a perfect 3 of 3 shooting.

Ellington had himself a solid outing as well, pouring in 20 points on 4 of 6 shooting from three-point territory. Ryan Kelly, who has looked more comfortable at the four position, contributed 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and a career-high four blocks.

Jabari Brown was another Laker to score over 20 points. He had a career-high 22 points to go with three assists off the bench on 7 of 10 shooting in 34 minutes. This was the final night of Brown’s second 10-day contract, and he wanted to prove his stance one last time. The Lakers will now have the choice of letting him walk or signing him for the remainder of the season.

Wesley Johnson notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, including two steals and three blocks. He did not shoot well from the floor but was getting the job done defensively. Jordan Hill, after putting in a monster double-double Sunday afternoon, scored just five points but collected 10 rebounds. He got into early foul trouble, committing three fouls within four minutes which sidelined him most of the first half.

For the Sixers, they received 17 points, five rebounds, and three assists from Ish Smith, who seems to have developed terrific chemistry with Nerlens Noel as the two collaborated for a few highlight plays. Isaiah Canaan dropped 18 points, including three three-pointers off the bench, while Thomas Robinson scored 13 points and corralled five boards.

The 76ers were dismal from the free-throw line again, hitting 60.5 percent on 23 of 38 shooting from the line. Their field goal percentage was less than stellar as well, making 40.6 percent of their shots. This was expected from the team who ranks bottom in both those categories.

At the end of the day, despite losing on the scoreboard, the Sixers won more ping pong balls. If the Sixers won, they would have tied the Lakers in the win column. Losing the game drops them three games behind the Lakers for the third worst record.

The Lakers ended their five-game road trip and will now head back home to host the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, April 1st. The Sixers will start a short road trip of their own on Wednesday, starting in Washington as they face the Wizards. 

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About the author
Vahan Shakhpazyan
Vahan Shakhpazyan loves the NBA with a passion and has been an avid follower for 18 years. He is a UCR graduate with a BA degree in Creative Writing. The man behind the Facebook page NBA updates.