BOX SCORE
At the morning shoot around, Doug Collins said everything New Jersey does goes through Deron Williams. He has the ball in his hands during the majority of the game.
Knowing that did not prevent Williams from scoring 34 points and dishing out 11 assists in the Nets' 97-90 overtime win over the Sixers.
The Nets came to the Wells Fargo Center with a 5-13 record. They have been without their starting center Brook Lopez all season long because of a broken right foot and rookie MarShon Brooks was sidelined for a second straight game with a sore Achilles.
Those two players combine for 34 points per game.
But when you have a Deron Williams, one need not worry. He can score and he will find others in scoring position.
The Sixers trailed 88-84 with 2:26 to play in overtime when Collins called a timeout to settle his troops.
NBA
It worked as the Sixers took a 90-88 lead with 1:18 to play when Jrue Holiday stole the Nets' in-bounds pass and went alone for the two-handed dunk.
However, Williams scored on a pull-up jumper to tie the game at 90 and then dropped the Nets' 12th three-pointer of the game for the go-ahead basket with 26.8 seconds remaining.
Lou Williams will be the first to tell you he is a fourth-quarter player. He likes to make big plays. With 8.8 seconds remaining in regulation, Williams made a jumper just inside the three-point line to give the Sixers an 82-80 lead.
But that other guy named Williams was not to be outdone. Deron Williams drove the lane and scored the tying lay-up for the Nets with 1.3 seconds to go.
After a timeout, the Sixers in-bounded the ball to their Williams whose three-point attempt barely left his hands.
New Jersey was fortunate because a wide-open Jodie Meeks was standing on the far side of the court.
The Sixers fall to 12-6 overall and 8-2 at the Wells Fargo Center.
Turning point
With 2.8 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Meeks hit a three-pointer to pull the Sixers within two points of the Nets at 63-61. But 1.8 seconds later, Shawne Williams let the ball fly from his hands from the halfcourt line and it went in, putting the Nets back up five.
Follow the leader
The Sixers' bench outscored the Nets' reserves 40-18. Lou Williams had 17 points and six assists. Thaddeus Young added 10 points as together they shot 12 of 24 from the floor.
Evan Turner did not shoot the ball well (3 for 10), but he led the Sixers in rebounding (along with Meeks) with seven, all on the defensive end.
Kris Humphries had a season-high 19 rebounds to go with his 13 points.
Stat-egic
The Sixers average 19 fast-break points per game on their home floor. Getting out and running is a huge part of why they have been successful. The Sixers had no fast-break points in the second half and two in overtime to finish with a total of five for the game. The Nets also had five fast-break points.
New Jersey came in averaging a league-low nine fast-break points per game.
The Sixers did compensate for their lack of fast-break points by winning the points off turnovers battle, 24-11.
Take a bow
With Spencer Hawes and Nik Vucevic sidelined with injuries, a lot of the front-line responsibilities fall on Elton Brand. Brand has scored in double figures in nine of his last 10 games. On the season he is averaging 11 points and seven rebounds, down from 15 and eight respectively a year ago.
With 54.5 seconds to play, Brand hit a 10-foot baseline jumper to tie the score at 80. Brand finished 6 of 10 from the floor for 16 points.
Whats next?
The Sixers continue a stretch of seven straight home games Friday night when the Charlotte Bobcats come to town. The Bobcats have lost six in a row and are 3-16 for the season.
Former Episcopal Academy standout Gerald Henderson leads Charlotte in scoring with 15.4 points per game. Henderson is one of five Bobcats averaging double-figure points.
Charlotte struggles defensively, giving up 102 points per game, the most in the NBA. Opponents shoot 46 percent from the floor per game against the Bobcats, third-highest in the league.
E-mail Dei Lynam at dlynam@comcastsportsnet.com.