PHILADELPHIA — Perhaps folks will stop singling out the Brooklyn Nets.
The 76ers played their second consecutive much-anticipated game in which the opposing team had multiple standouts sidelined. This time, the Sixers joined in.
They ended up defeating the Los Angeles Clippers, 106-103, Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center. The victory against Doc Rivers’ former team improved them to 39-17 and keeps them a game ahead of the second-place Nets atop the Eastern Conference.
Joel Embiid had 36 points and 14 rebounds against the Clippers (39-19), who had their seven-game winning streak snapped. Furkan Korkmaz added 18 points. Ben Simmons had 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Danny Green had 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Paul George paced Los Angeles with 37 points.
This one had an exciting finish.
Reggie Jackson’s corner 3-pointer pulled the Clippers within one point (104-103) with 21.2 seconds to play. Then with 9.8 seconds left, Green hit a pair of foul shots to make it a 106-103 game. Clippers forward and North Philly native Marcus Morris missed a 3-pointer with 5.8 seconds left. Embiid chased down the rebounds and the clock expired.
Sixers starters Tobias Harris (right-knee soreness) and Seth Curry (left-hip flexor) were sidelined after playing in Wednesday’s victory over the Nets. Reserve Dwight Howard (light-knee soreness) was sidelined for the second straight game. For George Hill (right thumb surgery), this marked his 12th game missed after being acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a three-team trade on March 25.
The Clippers were without five-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard (sore right foot) for the fourth straight game. This was the fifth consecutive game Patrick Beverley (fractured left hand) missed and the 18th consecutive for Serge Ibaka (lower-back tightness).
This comes two days after the Nets came into the Wells Fargo Center minus seven players, most notably Kevin Durant (left hamstring management), James Harden (right hamstring strain), LaMarcus Aldridge (illness) and Blake Griffin (left knee management). Aldridge retired Thursday due to an irregular heartbeat.
The Nets were criticized for holding out key playing in the first-place showdown. Yet there’s been plenty of injuries this season as teams are cramming 72-game schedules in around 145 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rivers was asked if the injuries around the league have a lot to do with the compressed schedule.
“That’s probably true,” he said. “I don’t know, but you got to say there’s got to be something there. I think there’s a lot of things. That’s it and rest in general as far as the guys have to get up [early] every morning. “That might not seem like that big of a deal, but when you are getting in at three in the morning [from a flight] and getting back up at 7 or 8, back in your car and then going [back] to sleep, I think that all plays a role in it.”
He added that sometimes it’s just one of those years in regards to injuries.
“I’m not smart enough to figure out some of the injuries,” Rivers said. “But there are a lot. I will say that.”
Perhaps that’s why Nets have been cautious with injuries and have rested players all season for what is expected to be a long postseason run.
The Sixers and Clippers are also hopeful of long postseason runs. And the players, who missed Friday’s game, are all vital to both teams’ postseason success.
Mike Scott started in place of Harris, while Korkmaz started in Curry’s absence.
The Sixers jumped out to a 20-3 lead thanks in large part to the Clippers missing eight of their first nine shots. The Clippers kept chipping away at the lead and pulled within three points (73-70) on George’s 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 50 seconds left in the third quarter. Then Patrick Patterson’s 3-pointer made it an 81-80 game with 34 seconds into the fourth quarter.
The Clippers pulled within one point another time before taking their first lead of the game (91-90) on Patterson’s corner 3 with 7:14 left.
Anthony Tolliver, who signed a 10-day contract Monday, had two rebounds, one assist and one block in his Sixers debut.
