Clippers 78, 76ers 77
Chris Paul hit a 16-foot turnaround jumper with 3.2 seconds left to finish off a 24-point effort and give the Los Angeles Clippers a 78-77 victory over the host Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
Blake Griffin had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Mo Williams added 14 points as Los Angeles improved to 3-1 on a six-game road trip by winning the battle of division leaders.
Philadelphia’s Lou Williams was unable to get off a shot before the buzzer after being double-teamed by Paul and Kenyon Martin.
Elton Brand had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Andre Iguodala also scored 12 for the 76ers, who have lost back-to-back home games for the first time this season.
Williams scored 11 points and hit two free throws with 18 seconds remaining to give the Sixers a one-point lead prior to Paul's making the winning shot despite tight defense by Iguodala.
The Clippers trailed by seven with four minutes left in the third quarter but went on a 16-2 surge over the ensuing seven minutes to take a 70-63 lead on Randy Foye’s basket with 7:09 remaining.
Iguodala responded with a 3-pointer and Williams delivered a three-point play as Philadelphia went on a 10-2 spurt to regain the lead at 73-72 with 3:01 remaining on two free throws by Jrue Holiday.
The 76ers opened up a 12-point lead early in the second quarter, but the Clippers rebounded to take a 39-38 lead on Paul’s layup with two minutes left in the half. The 76ers led 43-41 at intermission.