PHILADELPHIA – Andre Iguodala hit the go-ahead jumper with 37.6 seconds left in overtime, Thaddeus Young followed with a game-saving steal and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Charlotte Bobcats 96-92 on Monday.
Iguodala's pull-up jumper eased the sting of blowing a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter. Kwame Brown's errant cross-court pass was intercepted by Young, and Evan Turner hit four free throws in the final 17 seconds for the Sixers.
Iguodala had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Elton Brand added 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Boris Diaw had a triple-double for the Bobcats with 25 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds.
Lou Williams, who led the Sixers with 23 points, sent the game into overtime after he hit a 3 with 4.7 seconds left to make it 86-86.
It's never too early to start thinking about the playoffs, especially for a Sixers team that was one of the worst in the NBA last season. The win moved them 1½ games ahead of Charlotte for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
For a spell in the fourth, the Bobcats looked poised to snatch the win.
Diaw and Stephen Jackson hit 3s in a 13-0 run that tied the game at 81. Gerald Wallace put the Bobcats ahead 84-81 when he buried an uncontested 3 with 2:06 left in the game and had the Sixers on the brink of completing another fourth quarter meltdown.
Williams wouldn't let them go down that easy.
Coach Doug Collins checked in Jason Kapono, once one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA, for an in-bounds play and time ticking down. Williams instead took the pass, pump-faked D.J. Augustin, and hit the tying 3 that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Jackson, who scored 15 points, missed the final shot and the game went into OT.
Brown had season highs with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
The big swing for the Bobcats came late in the fourth when Brand was whistled for a flagrant foul on Brown's basket. Brown hit the free throw, the Bobcats kept possession and Diaw hit a 3 — a six-point streak thanks to one foul that sliced the lead. Jackson's 3 capped the 13-0 run and tied the game at 81.
The Bobcats made up for missing all 10 3-point attempts in the first half by finding their groove to open the third. Diaw hit two and Wallace one during a 13-2 run that put the Bobcats up 10.
When the run ended, so did Charlotte's shooting touch.
The Bobcats missed their last 11 shots of the quarter and went the final 9:09 without a field goal.
Williams, again sparking the Sixers off the bench, scored eight points during a 10-0 run late in the third quarter that helped them build the big lead.
The Sixers have won 11 of their last 14 home games while the Bobcats dropped to 4-13 overall on the road.
Bobcats forward Tyrus Thomas was suspended without pay for a flagrant foul against the Hornets' Emeka Okafor. Thomas elbowed Okafor in the head and was ejected for a flagrant foul, penalty two, late in the Bobcats' 88-81 loss Saturday.
Andres Nocioni sat out for the Sixers with a dislocated right middle finger. There is no timetable for his return.
Notes: Turner, The AP Player of the Year last season at Ohio State, was thrilled the Buckeyes topped The Associated Press Top 25 on Monday. "They paid their dues over the last three years. This is perfect." ... Wallace was hit with a technical foul in the third quarter. ... Charlotte's 12 offensive rebounds in the first half were the most against the Sixers in any half this season.
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