On Monday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 113-111, in an overtime thriller. Jordan Clarkson came up big with clutch free throws at the end of regulation before hitting the game-winner with 0.7 seconds to play in overtime.
On the night, Clarkson finished with 26 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and three steals in nearly 44 minutes of work. The rookie point guard played a controlled game, shot a high percentage from the field and led his team to victory, which was reminiscent of the Lakers' overtime win in Minnesota a few nights earlier.
Jabari Brown, who entered the night unsure if Monday would be his final game as a Laker, finished with 22 points (career-high) on 7-10 shooting. Brown, who was an undrafted rookie, completed his second 10-day contract. Under NBA rules, the Lakers cannot sign Brown to a third 10-day contract and must sign the rookie for the remainder of the season if they want to keep him.
On the strengths of his performances and his continued growth, the Lakers will likely bring Brown back. After Monday's win, Clarkson was asked about Brown by Time Warner Cable SportsNet, and the rookie point guard gave his ringing endorsement: "He belongs here."
Along with the pair of rookies, Ryan Kelly put up one of his better games in a purple and gold uniform. Kelly, who has looked like a different player since moving to his natural power forward position, finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists on the night. The second-year player helped highlight the Lakers' youth movement late in the 2014/15 season.
Also, Wayne Ellington finished with 20 points and came up especially big in the overtime period. The former University of North Carolina Tar Heel scored seven points on 3-3 shooting in the five-minute extra period. Ellington also made a tough pass through traffic to find Clarkson on the game-winning layup.
In his post-game interview on Time Warner Cable SportsNet, the Philadelphia-native appeared to especially enjoy the victory in his hometown. However, a large segment of Lakers' fans did not enjoy the result.
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Had the Lakers lost, they would have been level with the Sixers in the wins column. Dropping to the third-worst record by the end of the season would help the Lakers keep their high draft pick. With the win, the Lakers stayed in fourth place in the race to the bottom with 20 wins and 53 losses on the season. Philadelphia is third in the lottery chase, and the Sixers moved to 18-57 with the loss.
If the Lakers end up with a No. 6 pick or lower, the 76ers would get the Lakers' top draft pick as part of the Steve Nash trade.
Next, the Lakers return home to host the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night at Staples Center.
