The Sports Xchange
Dec 7, 2017
PHILADELPHIA -- Brandon Ingram hit a 3-pointer with eight-tenths of a second left to lift the Los Angeles Lakers over the Philadelphia 76ers 107-104 on Thursday night.
Ingram led the Lakers (9-15) with 21 points. Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson added 16 apiece off the bench for Los Angeles, which snapped a five-game losing streak.
Joel Embiid had 33 points to lead the Sixers (13-11), who dropped their second straight and their third in four games. Robert Covington chipped in 19 points, and rookie Ben Simmons contributed his third triple-double -- 12 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists.
The Sixers, down 85-70 less than a minute into the fourth quarter, stormed back to tie it behind Embiid and backup forward Richaun Holmes. Embiid poured in 16 of his points in the period, while Holmes had 11 of his 13.
Holmes' dunk, off a feed from Embiid, knotted the game at 101with 2:23 left.
The Lakers edged back in front, but Philadelphia tied it again, at 104-104, on Embiid's two free throws with 39.8 seconds to play.
Lonzo Ball, who had 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, missed a 3-pointer, but Embiid came up empty as well.
On the Lakers' final possession, Ball began a drive from the right corner but pitched the ball to Ingram, who was wide open on the right wing. He swished his 3-pointer to put Los Angeles in front.
Holmes came up empty on a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
The Lakers led by as many as 13 in the first half, and were still up by 12 with 1:55 left in the second quarter, after a 3-pointer by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. A pair of 3-pointers by Covington helped the Sixers slice the deficit to 57-49 at the break.
Embiid had 15 points in the first 24 minutes to lead Philadelphia, while Covington had 13.
Los Angeles extended its advantage to 73-57 late in the third quarter before Philadelphia went on a 13-2 run capped by Jerryd Bayless' 3-pointer with 43.3 seconds left in the period.
The Lakers, up just 75-70 at that point, responded with the last four points of the quarter, on Caldwell-Pope's layup and a follow shot by Andrew Bogut.
Clarkson and Josh Hart then nailed triples to open the fourth quarter, giving the Lakers an 85-70 cushion with 11:13 to play.
NOTES: Earlier in the day the Sixers traded C Jahlil Okafor and G/F Nik Stauskas, as well as a 2019 second-round pick, to Brooklyn for F Trevor Booker. Philadelphia C Joel Embiid said he was happy for Okafor, with whom he is close, and that he reached out to him via text. "I was just like, 'New beginnings, love you, good luck, I'm going to miss you'," Embiid said with a smile, "and I made sure I let him know I was going to kick his (butt)." ... Philadelphia G T.J. McConnell returned after missing the three previous games with a sprained shoulder, but F Dario Saric (left eye laceration/corneal abrasion, right eye) did not play. ... The Sixers have been without G Markelle Fultz the last 20 games because of a shoulder injury, and there is no timetable for his return. General manager Bryan Colangelo said before the game that Fultz is pain-free, however. "We anticipate that the end is near," Colangelo added.