Cavaliers 106, Bobcats 104: Kyrie Irving sank a 12-foot fadeaway jumper to snap a tie with one second remaining as Cleveland ended a three-game skid and handed Charlotte its 10th straight home loss.
Irving finished with 33 points - including 16 of his team's 20 in the fourth quarter - as the Cavaliers defeated the Bobcats for the fifth straight time.
Ben Gordon had a team-high 27 points and Ramon Sessions made all 12 of his free throws to finish with 20 points for the Bobcats, who returned to their losing ways after snapping an 18-game skid in Chicago on Monday.
Irving sank a pair of 3-pointers to highlight a personal 14-point surge in the fourth quarter. Irving fired the final salvo with a second left, leaving Gerald Henderson with just a desperation heave which caromed off the front rim.
After Cleveland amassed an 18-point lead midway through the third quarter, Charlotte slowly trimmed the deficit by scoring the first six points of the fourth. Gordon drilled back-to-back jumpers and Sessions gave Charlotte its first second-half lead with a pair of free throws.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Cavaliers shot a blistering 26-for-44 (59.1 percent) from the field in the first half. ... Charlotte hasn't won at home since posting a 98-97 triumph over Toronto on Nov. 21. ... With Anderson Varejao missing his eighth straight game due to a bruised right knee, former Tar Heel star Tyler Zeller started in his place and finished with nine points.
Cleveland | Charlotte | |
Kyrie Irving 33 | Scoring | Ben Gordon 27 |
Kyrie Irving 6 | Assists | Ramon Sessions 6 |
Tristan Thompson 13 | Rebounds | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 9 |
Kyrie Irving 10 | Free Throws Made | Ramon Sessions 12 |
Kyrie Irving 4 | Steals | Ben Gordon 1 |
Kyrie Irving 3 | Blocks | Brendan Haywood 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Cleveland | 106 | 50.0 | 7-16 | 21-29 | 23 | 40 | 10 | 9 | 13 |
Charlotte | 104 | 45.1 | 8-17 | 22-28 | 25 | 43 | 3 | 5 | 14 |