Clippers beat 76ers with controversial final play

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The LA Clippers narrowly beat the 76ers in Philadelphia 108-107 after a dramatic ending saw the referees fail to call a foul on Paul George in the final second.

With 8.8 seconds remaining, the Sixers' Kelly Oubre Jr. drove into the paint, but Kawhi Leonard wedged the ball between the rim and the backboard. Philadelphia then won the jump ball after the wedgie with 5.1 seconds left.

On the final play, Oubre drove to the basket and ran into Paul George's chest, drawing contact, as Leonard jumped and blocked Oubre's shot. The referees didn't call a foul on George, and 76ers coach Nick Nurse ran onto the court to dispute the non-call with officials. Nurse had to be restrained by his assistant coaches, and Oubre pointed his finger at the officials.

"Well, I think, listen, I think he took it in there pretty hard, right?" Nurse said. "I looked at it on our computer screen a couple times. I thought there was certainly contact. Certainly, as much as the last two or three that got called and-1's at the other end. And that's all. I just thought it was enough contact to call. But that's the way it goes sometimes."

Crew chief Kevin Scott admitted to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey in a pool report that a foul should have been called on George.

"On the last play on the floor, in real time the crew interpreted that play as the defender jumping vertically," Scott said. "However, in postgame video review, we did observe some slight drift to his left by the defender George, and a foul should have been ruled."

George led the Clippers in scoring with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Leonard added 17 points and nine rebounds. The game marked former 76er James Harden's return to Philadelphia, but the controversial ending overshadowed it.

The Clippers made a late-game rally, which included a two-point shot and a free throw from Leonard with 15.1 seconds left to take the lead.

"We talked about being a defensive team and doing things defensively," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. "Our fires were good. Kawhi's block at the rim. PG at the end, verticality on Oubre. Just staying in — you can live with yourself if you lose a game like that, when you don't shoot the ball well. But you know, you play hard, you compete, and you scrap, and that's what we got to do every single night."

Tyrese Maxey put up 26 points for the 76ers and Oubre added 17 points and 11 boards. The Sixers, who are still missing Joel Embiid from his February knee surgery, have gone 10-17 since Embiid suffered a knee injury on Jan. 30.

Required reading

• Philly booed James Harden, but the 76ers will only be cheered by Joel Embiid's return
• James Harden looks to fix 'The System.' Philadelphia return is his next chance
• Tyrese Maxey, 76ers are far more concerned about Joel Embiid's return than James Harden
• Why James Harden's 'defense' on Kawhi Leonard is a positive sign for these Clippers

(Photo: Bill Streicher / USA Today)