Mobley’s late three lifts Clippers over Nets

Elton Brand and Corey Maggette each netted 18 while Mobley finished with 17 points for the Clippers, who have won four in a row. Brand grabbed eight rebounds while Maggette pulled down six boards.

Vince Carter scored 33 points and Bostjan Nachbar had 17 points and seven rebounds for the Nets, who have lost three straight games, all by one point. For the third straight contest New Jersey failed to hold on to a lead in the final seconds.

The Nets drew within two on a number of occasions until they tied the score, 97-97, on a pair of Jason Collins’ free throws with 2:28 on the clock.

Nachbar’s three with 1:32 gave New Jersey its first lead since 10-8.

With the Nets ahead 101-99 the Clippers had the ball with 8.7 ticks left but had missed their previous nine shots. Sam Cassell took the inbounds pass and drove in to the paint. The Nets defense collapsed, leaving Mobley open and he drained the game-winner.

Carter’s tip-in rimmed out and his put-back was too late.

The Clippers led 31-24 after the opening 12 minutes of play.

Los Angeles opened the second quarter by scoring nine of the first 12 points, capped by five straight points from Tim Thomas, for a 40-27 lead.

Jason Kidd’s finger-roll narrowed the gap to 49-38, but the Clippers closed the stanza with an 8-2 spurt, ending with a pair of Maggette free throws with .8 seconds remaining.

A pair of Mobley free throws gave the Clippers an 18-point lead, their biggest of the game, but the Nets responded with a 13-5 rally, including eight points from Carter, cutting the deficit to 67-57.

Trailing 81-70 heading into the final frame, the Nets opened the period with a 20-11 run, highlighted by a pair of treys from Nachbar, pulling New Jersey within 92-90 with 5 1/2 minutes to play.

Game Notes

The Nets are 0-8 on the road against Western Conference teams...New Jersey is 6-14 in games decided by six points or less...Kidd finished with 12 points, eight assists and five rebounds...Cassell had 15 points and 10 assists while Thomas netted 12 and pulled down five boards...The Nets shot 50 percent from the field, while the Clippers connected on 44 percent of their shots from the floor.