76ers 103, Nets 98
PHILADELPHIA -- Rookie center Jahlil Okafor had 22 points and a season-high 17 rebounds and forward Robert Covington drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:16 left as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets 103-98 on Saturday night, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Forward Nerlens Noel had 18 points and rookie point guard T.J. McConnell, starting for an injured Ish Smith, matched his season high of 17 points. McDonnell also had a critical steal in the closing seconds for Philadelphia (8-43).
Forward Thaddeus Young, an ex-Sixer, had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, with his points coming in the second half. Center Brook Lopez added 17 points and guard Markel Brown made all five of his shots, three of them 3-pointers, while scoring a season-high 15 points off the bench.
Brooklyn, the NBA's third-worst team, fell to 13-39, lost for the sixth time in seven games and did not make a basket in the final four-plus minutes.
The Nets, who trailed by 15 points in the first half, erased an 89-88 deficit by outscoring the Sixers 8-4 late in the game, with forward Joe Johnson accounting for the last four points at the foul line.
Johnson's free throws put Brooklyn ahead 96-93 with 1:46 remaining. McConnell then made the first of two free throws 14 seconds later, and Okafor reclaimed the miss. Covington, just 1-for-7 in the game to that point, then nailed his 3-pointer from the left wing to put the Sixers ahead to stay.
Moments later McConnell's steal led to a dunk by Noel and the Sixers were clinging clinging to a 101-98 lead after guard Nik Stauskas made the second of two foul shots with 7.6 seconds left
Brooklyn seized its first lead since early in the game on Lopez's three-point play two minutes into the second half, 46-45, and the teams exchanged the lead six times until Noel triggered a 10-0 flurry with a basket in the lane and a fast-break dunk following a steal.
Noel departed briefly with an ankle sprain, but Okafor scored eight points in the final 5:38 of the quarter and a 3-pointer by forward Jerami Grant with 6.9 seconds left in the period staked the Sixers to a 69-64 edge.
The Nets responded and took an 86-81 lead on Brown's 3-pointer with 6:59 left. Philadelphia answered with an 8-2 run and swingman Hollis Thompson's 3-pointer with 4:44 gave them an 89-88 lead.
NOTES: Sixers coach Brett Brown said he expects PG Ish Smith (ankle) to be available Monday when Philadelphia hosts the Clippers. ... Brown continues to experiment with C Jahlil Okafor at power forward on defense. "We've talked freely about it amongst our group, and so that's my job," Brown said. "That's what we're about. We get a look at different things. It's never perfect, but what is most imperfect is not trying it, so try it we will." ... Ex-Sixers F Thaddeus Young, in his second season with the Nets, had warm memories of the late Darryl Dawkins, who was honored by the Sixers throughout the game. "We always shook hands, and I always felt like he was going to crush my hand," Young said with a smile, "but he's definitely always a great guy. He always encouraged me to continue to play through everything that's going on." Dawkins, who played for the Sixers and Nets during his 13-year career, died Aug. 27 at age 58.