LOS ANGELES — The Philadelphia 76ers seized control in a 51-point third quarter, set a team record for points in a quarter and a playoff game, and evened their first-round series at one game apiece with a 145-123 victory over the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.

Game 3 is Thursday in New York.

Joel Embiid collected 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead Philadelphia. For the second straight time, Embiid was a game-time decision due to the lingering tendinitis in his left knee, but he played in both contests.

Embiid totaled 13 and five rebounds in the third quarter Monday as Philadelphia shot 72 percent and outscored Brooklyn 51-23.

Embiid’s dominance occurred after he was called for a flagrant-one foul on Jarrett Allen with 35.6 seconds left in the first half.

Philadelphia also matched the 1962 Los Angeles Lakers for the most points scored in a quarter in a playoff game. It was the 13th time a team scored at least 145 points in a playoff game and first instance in a regulation game since the Boston Celtics put up 157 points in 1990 against the New York Knicks.

Ben Simmons contributed his second career postseason triple-double with 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Charles Barkley as the only Sixers to get multiple triple-doubles in playoff action, and he exited a standing ovation from fans after criticizing their booing following Game 1.

Tobias Harris added 19 points, JJ Redick contributed 17, reserve center Boban Marjanovic chipped in 16 and Mike Scott had 15 for Philadelphia, which shot 56.1 percent from the floor.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 19 and D’Angelo Russell added 16 for the Nets, who set a team record for points allowed in a postseason game. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 15 while Caris LeVert and Shabazz Napier had 13 apiece.

After starting slowly, Embiid fueled a 21-2 blitz to start the third to turn a 65-64 halftime lead to an 86-66 edge. He started it with a 10-foot jumper, converted a three-point play, hit a short fadeaway along the baseline and hit two free throws.

WARRIORS LOSE 31-POINT LEAD, COUSINS AS CLIPPERS RALLY
Landry Shamet buried a go-ahead 3-pointer with 16.5 seconds remaining, capping a historic rally from a 31-point deficit Monday night and delivering the Los Angeles Clippers a shocking, 135-131 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series in Oakland, Calif.

With the series tied at 1-1, the best-of-7 heads south to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday night, with Game 4 also set for the Staples Center on Sunday.

The come-from-behind win was the largest since the NBA began documenting such things in 2000.

In addition to the first defeat in their past eight playoff games, the Warriors lost center DeMarcus Cousins to a potentially serious left quad injury in the first quarter.

Cousins, who was playing in just the second playoff game of his career, was scheduled for an MRI exam on Tuesday.

Riding a late flurry by Stephen Curry in the second quarter and 9-for-9 shooting to open the third period, Golden State ran up a 94-63 lead and appeared well on its way to going up 2-0 after a 121-104 win in the series opener on Saturday.

However, the Clippers rallied behind Lou Williams, first using a franchise-record 44 points in the third quarter to get within 108-94, then with relentless offensive pressure to put themselves in a position to win in the final seconds.

Williams finished with a game-high 36 points, including a clutch jumper over Klay Thompson with 46 seconds remaining after Curry had put Golden State up 131-128 on a 3-pointer 12.1 seconds earlier.

After Klay Thompson misfired on a 3-point attempt at the other end, Shamet converted a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assist into what turned out to be the game-winning hoop.

Down by two, the Warriors went for the win, but Curry couldn’t connect on a 3-point try, after which Montrezl Harrell calmly dropped in two free throws for the final margin of victory.

Williams’ point total came on 13-for-22 shooting and 8-for-10 from the free-throw line, the latter helping the Clippers cut into a 40-25 Warriors advantage in points from the line in the tightly officiated game.

Harrell backed Williams with 25 points to complement a game-high 10 rebounds for the Clippers, who shot 56.5% from the field.

Danilo Gallinari (24 points), JaMychal Green (13), Shamet (12) and Beverley (10) also scored in double figures for the Clippers.

Curry had 29 points for the Warriors, including 11 in the final 2:43 of the first half, during which Golden State extended a 13-point lead to 73-50 by halftime.

Durant finished with 21 points, Kevon Looney 19, Thompson 17, Draymond Green 14 and Quinn Cook 11 for the Warriors, who had won 20 of their previous 21 playoff games at home.

The Warriors lost despite shooting 53.3% from the field. — Reuters

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