Bobcats 98, Raptors 97: Kemba Walker scored 19 points to lead seven players in double figures and Ramon Sessions hit the eventual game-winning jumper with 28 seconds left as Charlotte continued its best start in the franchise's brief history with a win over visiting Toronto.
Sessions and rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 14 apiece and Ben Gordon had 13 for the Bobcats (6-4), who improved to 5-2 at home. Andrea Bargnani scored 25 points and Kyle Lowry added 21 points and eight assists for Toronto.
Charlotte led by as many as 10 at 86-76 with just under 10 minutes to play, but the Raptors (3-9) responded to claim a 96-93 lead on DeMar DeRozan's three-point play with 1:52 remaining.
Walker drove the lane and converted a three-point play to tie it with 55 seconds left, and after DeRozan made one of two free throws, Sessions' jumper from just inside the top of the key bounced off the front and back of the rim before falling through.
Toronto, which dropped to 1-6 on the road, had five shots for the lead in the final 20 seconds, but Bismack Biyombo and Jeffery Taylor each had key blocks and Bargnani missed an 18-footer at the buzzer.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Raptors dropped to 3-2 in the second game of back-to-back sets. All of their wins have come when playing on the second of consecutive days. … Lowry returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Nov. 6. He missed six games before coming off the bench Tuesday at Philadelphia. … Charlotte's bench outscored Toronto's reserves 38-21. Sessions, Gordon and Biyombo (11 points) all scored in double digits off the bench.
Toronto | Charlotte | |
Andrea Bargnani 25 | Scoring | Kemba Walker 19 |
Kyle Lowry 8 | Assists | Kemba Walker 7 |
Jonas Valanciunas 10 | Rebounds | Bismack Biyombo 8 |
Andrea Bargnani 5 | Free Throws Made | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 6 |
Kyle Lowry 2 | Steals | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 2 |
Kyle Lowry 3 | Blocks | Kemba Walker 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Toronto | 97 | 46.2 | 9-23 | 14-20 | 23 | 36 | 8 | 5 | 14 |
Charlotte | 98 | 41.9 | 3-19 | 23-28 | 21 | 37 | 9 | 7 | 14 |