The shot itself was unremarkable, except for its significance. It provided the final points of the 76ers' 89-88 win over the Los Angeles Clippers last night at the Wachovia Center.

"The play was exactly how we drew it up," Brand joked while speaking of the haphazard winning possession.

Andre Miller lost the ball. Andre Iguodala got it, then stumbled into a trio of Clippers. Iguodala squeezed the ball to Brand, who stood alone on the left baseline, 15 feet from the basket.

For the night, Brand was 6 for 18 from the field. But the crowd won't remember the misses.

Standing in the hallway outside the visitors' locker room, Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy leaned against the wall.

"I think I've seen him make that shot a few times," quipped Dunleavy, for whom Brand played during five seasons in Los Angeles.

The Sixers evened their record at 6-6.

The Clippers, who have won only two games, traded two of their top five scorers only hours before the tip-off.

They sent starting guard Cuttino Mobley and reserve forward Tim Thomas to the New York Knicks for forward Zach Randolph and former Temple guard Mardy Collins.

After talking about the trade, Dunleavy spoke of his fractured relationship with Brand, who left the Clippers in the off-season and signed with the Sixers. Speaking before the game, Dunleavy said he would talk to Brand if Brand "walked by."

Seconds before the tip-off, Brand walked to Dunleavy and shook his hand.

"It was great," Dunleavy said. "We shook hands and he said, 'Coach, thank you for everything. I enjoyed my time there.' "

Brand's new team avoided a repeat of Wednesday night's loss to bottom-rung Minnesota.

But in a sequel, the Sixers' starting unit built an early lead - this time 14 points - and watched it melt to nothing in the second quarter.

With 14 first-half points from forward Al Thornton and 16 points in the paint in the second quarter, the Clippers outscored the Sixers by 33-18 in the period and had a 49-46 halftime lead. Thornton finished with a game high of 22 points.

After scoring 14 first-half points, Thaddeus Young, the Sixers' leading scorer, did not get a shot until 5 minutes, 55 seconds remained in the third quarter. Young made a three-pointer from the left corner. He finished with 17 points.

"Let's get this straight," Young said of his infrequent touches. "I don't ever get plays called for me. I just go out there and play Basketball."

"It was a tough game," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "But we hung in there until the end."

Then came the shot that inspired the crowd of 13,474 to stand and cheer - on a night boos seemed much more likely.

Free throws. Young appeared to have scored just before the halftime buzzer to cut the Sixers' deficit to 49-48. After reviewing the replay, the referees counted the basket. One minute later, they reversed their decision. . . . In their last two games, the Sixers are 3 for 18 from beyond the arc. . . . Dunleavy received a technical foul early in the second quarter for arguing what he thought should have been a foul.

Contact staff writer Kate Fagan at 856-779-3844 or kfagan@phillynews.com.