. 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.---TIP-INSLakers: 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 NEXTLakers: Host New Orleans on Wednesday76ers: At Washington on Wednesday
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Time: 07:00 P.M. EST Venue: Wells Fargo Center
Quality rookie seasons from Nerlens Noel and Jordan Clarkson have been the silver linings of otherwise dismal seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers. Still, poor showings from their respective first-year players may be in each team's best interest Monday night as they continue their race toward the bottom of the NBA standings. Philadelphia (18-56) currently owns the third-worst record in the NBA, but could move closer to fourth-worst Los Angeles (19-53) with its third home victory in four tries. The league's third-worst record will have a 15.6 percent chance at earning the top pick at the NBA draft lottery, while the fourth-worst record will have an 11.9 percent chance. There's an added wrinkle in this matchup. Philadelphia will get Los Angeles' pick if it's six or lower this summer, while the Lakers will keep it if it's 1-5. As of now, two teams would need to jump them in the lottery for the 76ers to get the pick. Philadelphia has lost four of five since winning consecutive games March 18-20, but nearly stunned Cleveland on Sunday before losing 87-86. Robert Covington hit a 3-pointer to cut the Cavaliers' lead to one with just under four minutes remaining, but neither team managed to score for the remainder of the game. Noel finished with eight points - his fewest in 10 games - but tallied 11 boards for his fourth consecutive double-digit rebounding effort. He scored a career-best 30 points Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers, and has averaged 16.5 along with 12.5 rebounds in his last four. What's impressed coach Brett Brown most, however, is Noel's effort down the stretch.'' I walked in the locker room and his head was down between two towels,'' Brown said. ''We're in late March and we have 18 wins, but he hurts - and I love that. That whole group in there feels like we let one through our fingers on the road - and I love that.'' Clarkson has been similarly solid for the Lakers. He has averaged 14.5 points since entering the starting lineup on Jan. 23, and 20.5 points in his last four. Clarkson amassed 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists Sunday against Brooklyn while Jordan Hill had 22 points and 16 boards, but the Lakers lost 107-99. Los Angeles' defense had been far improved in its 11 games prior to the loss to the Nets. The Lakers allowed an average of 97.2 points in that stretch compared with 105.9 per game through the season's first 60 contests, but reverted back to that old form as Brooklyn shot 48.3 percent from the field and scored 61 points in the first half. They're 1-33 when allowing the opposition shoots 47 percent or better.'' We just wasn't in the right place at the right time in the first half,'' Hill said. ''There wasn't a lot of help. We were letting drives get to the middle. It was tough.'' The Lakers limited the 76ers to 36.0 percent shooting - their stingiest defensive effort since December 2013 - in a 101-87 win on March 22. They've won their last two trips to Philadelphia, and have allowed the 76ers to score more than 100 points only twice in the previous 11 meetings. Jeremy Lin, who had a season-high 29 points last week against the 76ers, missed Sunday's game with an upper respiratory infection. It's unclear if he'll play Monday.
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