Jimmy Butler Sinks Game-Winner In Final Second As Sixers Edge Out Nets
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NEW YORK (AP) -- Jimmy Butler made a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining to give the Philadelphia 76ers a 127-125 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
Butler's shot from the right wing, similar to the one that beat Charlotte in overtime on Nov. 17, capped Philadelphia's rally from 20 points down in a game the Nets led nearly all the way.
Butler finished with 34 points and 12 rebounds, and Joel Embiid had 32 points and 12 boards for the 76ers.
D'Angelo Russell had 38 points, his highest total with the Nets, and added eight assists and eight rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 31 points off the bench.
The 76ers, who are a league-best 10-1 at home, improved to just 4-7 away from the Wells Fargo Center.
Butler, whose first game-winner with the Sixers ruined Kemba Walker's 60-point performance in Charlotte, led Philadelphia's fourth-quarter charge after it looked sluggish throughout the first three quarters.
Brooklyn led 118-105 after Dinwiddie's basket forced the 76ers to call timeout with 4:57 left in the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia then went on a 16-2 run and went ahead 121-120 on JJ Redick's 3-pointer with 1:03 remaining, its first lead since Embiid scored the game's first two points.
Joe Harris answered with a 3 of his own to put the Nets back ahead but Embiid came back on the other end, converting a three-point play after Harris fouled him to give Philadelphia a 124-123 lead.
Dinwiddie briefly put Brooklyn back on top with a jumper over Redick, setting the stage for Butler's big shot.
The Nets have lost three straight.
TIP-INS
76ers: Embiid has 18 20-point games this season, second to Kevin Durant's 19.
Nets: Brooklyn's 14-point lead at the half was its largest of the season.
FULTZ FORCE
76ers coach Brett Brown said he expects Markelle Fultz to proceed with a doctor's appointment Monday to have his right shoulder examined. Fultz has missed his last three games and has not played or practiced since Tuesday when his agent announced that the top pick in the 2017 NBA draft would be seeing a specialist in New York. The 20-year-old is averaging 8.2 points in 19 games this season.
UP NEXT
76ers: Host the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
Nets: Host the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
