Bobcats 107, Raptors 101: Byron Mullens poured in 25 points off the bench and Gerald Henderson added 21 points as Charlotte claimed its sixth consecutive home win against Toronto and salvaged a split of the season series.
Josh McRoberts contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds and Ben Gordon scored 16 off the bench for the Bobcats, who have won consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 19 and 21.
Rudy Gay scored 25 points and DeMar DeRozan added 19 for the Raptors, who have lost two straight and have not won in Charlotte since March 29, 2010.
DeRozan scored eight points in the first 6:04 as the Raptors raced out to a 17-6 lead, but the Bobcats chipped the deficit down to four by the end of the first quarter and took a 53-48 halftime lead.
Toronto stayed in it by going 26-for-26 from the foul line, and a pair of Jonas Valanciunas free throws pulled the Raptors within 94-93 with 3:17 left before Gordon hit a pair of free throws and drained a 3-pointer from the right wing to push it out to 99-93. The Raptors cut it to 103-101 with 12 seconds left, but Mullens made four free throws down the stretch to seal it.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Henderson has scored at least 20 points in five of the past seven games. … The last two times the Bobcats have won consecutive games, the Raptors have been on the losing end of the second contest. … Toronto's franchise record for free throws in a game without a miss is 28, set April 4, 2006, against Boston.
Toronto | Charlotte | |
Rudy Gay 25 | Scoring | Byron Mullens 25 |
Kyle Lowry 5 | Assists | Kemba Walker 8 |
Amir Johnson 10 | Rebounds | Josh McRoberts 12 |
Rudy Gay 7 | Free Throws Made | Byron Mullens 8 |
Amir Johnson 2 | Steals | Kemba Walker 4 |
Amir Johnson 4 | Blocks | Byron Mullens 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Toronto | 101 | 42.2 | 5-22 | 26-26 | 18 | 45 | 9 | 7 | 17 |
Charlotte | 107 | 46.7 | 8-16 | 29-40 | 21 | 42 | 7 | 10 | 13 |