The Philadelphia 76ers' Andre Iguodala (left) celebrates his winning 3-point shot with teammate Andre Miller at the end of the game against the Lakers in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES – The Philadelphia 76ers lost six games this season on game-winning shots in the final 5 seconds, including buzzer beaters by Tony Parker, Dirk Nowitzki and Devin Harris.
So how nice it was to celebrate a last-second winner.
Ex-Arizona Wildcat Andre Iguodala beat the final buzzer with a 3-pointer to finish with 25 points, and the 76ers overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Los Angeles Lakers 94-93 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.
Fifteen of Philadelphia’s 34 wins have been decided by six points or fewer.
“We cleared it out for Andre and gave him the option,” interim coach Tony DiLeo said. “He could have drove to the basket, he could pitch for a 3, but he said coming out: ‘I’m going to win the game.’ So he knew what he was going to do, and he did it.
“This was a great win for us. I can’t think of a better one. It shows the resiliency of the team.”
The Sixers were trailing 78-67 when DiLeo put in little-used forward Donyell Marshall for the first time, hoping he could provide the same spark he did in Sunday’s 85-77 win over Miami, when Marshall scored 10 fourth-quarter points – his first since Feb. 17.
The 14-year veteran made a 3-pointer 19 seconds later, igniting a 20-2 blitz that turned Philadelphia’s 12-point deficit into an 86-80 lead with 5:24 to play. Marshall capped the rally with another 3-pointer, then hit his third 3 of the game to put the Sixers back in front 91-89 with 2:22 left.
“You never know when your name is going to be called,” Marshall said. “I work out all the time with the strength and conditioning coach. Even though I haven’t been playing much, I still get some side stuff in.”
Pau Gasol hit two free throws for the Lakers with 1:39 to go, and Kobe Bryant – who scored 11 points during a foul-plagued 33 minutes – hit a 23-footer over Iguodala for a 93-91 lead after missing his previous five shots.
Following a timeout, Andre Miller inbounded to Iguodala, who was covered loosely by Trevor Ariza before connecting from the top of the key.
“Hats off to him. He’s an extremely talented player, and I think the world of him,” Bryant said. “We spent a great deal of time talking in the summer, and I was happy with the way he played. He had a good look at it and he knocked it down. In hindsight, we should have taken the foul.”
Cavaliers 97, Magic 93: At Cleveland, LeBron James drained a long 3-pointer with 47.4 seconds left and added two free throws with 8.7 seconds to go as the Cavaliers improved to 30-1 at home.
Hawks 119, Kings 97: At Atlanta, Al Horford had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Josh Smith finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Hawks’ sixth straight victory.
Mavericks 103, Pistons 101: At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks finally took advantage of an injury-depleted foe, leading the Pistons from start to finish. The Mavs won their eighth straight at home.
Jazz 103, Wizards 88: At Salt Lake City, Deron Williams scored eight of his 12 points in the third quarter and Carlos Boozer finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds as the Jazz ended a three-game losing streak.
Spurs 93, Timberwolves 86: At San Antonio, Tony Parker scored 24 points to once again carry San Antonio against Minnesota, and the Spurs survived without Tim Duncan.
Bulls 127, Celtics 121: At Chicago, John Salmons tied a career-high with 38 points, and the Bulls rallied for another surprising victory despite 37 points from Paul Pierce.
Warriors 127, Clippers 120: At Oakland, Calif., Monta Ellis matched his season high with 29 points, while Corey Maggette had 21 in Golden State’s win.