Lakers at 76ers
After pushing one of the Eastern Conference powers to the finish line on the road, Philadelphia gets a crack at one of the also-rans from the West when it hosts the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. The 76ers rallied from behind before falling 87-86 at Cleveland on Sunday in a contest that featured a game-ending scoreless stretch of nearly four minutes by both teams. Robert Covington scored 19 points while Nerlens Noel had 11 rebounds as Philadelphia fell to 6-31 on the road.
Moments before the 76ers rally fell short, the Lakers had their comeback bid come up empty in a 107-99 setback at Brooklyn. Los Angeles received 22 points and 16 rebounds from Jordan Hill, who had sat out the previous three games, but fell to 1-3 on its current five-game road excursion. The Lakers are 2-12 on the road against Eastern Conference teams but defeated Philadelphia at home by a 101-87 margin on March 22.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Time Warner Cable SportsNet (Los Angeles), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE LAKERS (19-53): As the losses pile up, Los Angeles is getting close to establishing some notable lows for the franchise. Sunday's loss was its 53rd, which is tied for the second-most in franchise history with the 1957-58 Minneapolis Lakers, and left the squad two defeats short of last season's franchise-record 55-loss campaign. There is a chance the mark could fall on an upcoming three-game homestand, or in an "away" game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (18-56): Covington's solid effort at Cleveland continued with an odd theme that has carried out over the past two weeks. He is averaging 19 points on 52.1 percent shooting in his last four road games, compared to 3.3 points on a 23.5 percent mark in three home games during the same stretch. For the season, the second-year pro has a 36.1 percent showing in home games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Lakers PG Jeremy Lin missed Sunday's game with an upper respiratory infection.
2. 76ers SG JaKarr Sampson has hit at least one 3-pointer in a season-high four straight games.
3. Los Angeles had a 52-39 advantage on the boards in the previous meeting.