Bobcats 104, Raptors 102 (OT)
TORONTO -- Guard Kemba Walker scored 29 points, including the winning shot at the buzzer in overtime, and the Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Toronto Raptors 104-102 on Wednesday for their second win in a row.
Center Al Jefferson added 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Bobcats, who trailed by 16 points in the third quarter.
Forward Josh McRoberts had 13 points and guards Gerald Henderson and Ramon Sessions 11 each while forward Anthony Tolliver contributed 10 for the Bobcats (12-14).
Guard DeMar DeRozan led Toronto (9-14) with 30 points. Guard Kyle Lowry added 17 points and center Jonas Valanciunas and forward Amir Johnson scored 10 each. Johnson added 13 rebounds. Guard-forward John Salmons scored 11 off the bench for the Raptors, who had a two-game winning streak end.
The Bobcats held a three-point lead after Walker made two free throws with 27 seconds left in overtime. But DeRozan scored on a layup with 12 seconds left and then -- after Walker missed two free throws -- DeRozan hit one of two foul shots to tie the score at 102-102 with one second left.
Walker atoned for the missed free throws when he took a pass from McRoberts and hit an 18-foot jumper to win it at the buzzer.
The teams entered the fourth quarter tied but a 3-pointer by Lowry had the Raptors up by five. Henderson hit a pull-up jumper to cut the lead to one and the Bobcats took an 82-81 lead on a layup by Sessions.
The Raptors regained the lead on a 3-pointer by Lowry. DeRozan banked a shot with 5:47 to play for an 86-82 Toronto lead. But Jefferson tied the game with turnaround jumper with 3:46 to play.
Charlotte took a one-point lead when Sessions made one of two free throws. Jefferson made a jumper with 2:31 to play and the Bobcats led by three points. DeRozan cut the lead to one with a jumper with two minutes to play. After Henderson missed a shot, forward Patrick Patterson made a tip shot and Toronto led 90-89.
But with 31.5 seconds left, McRoberts made a hook shot for a 91-90 Charlotte lead. After the Raptors missed, Walker made two free throws for a three-point lead that was cut to one by Johnson's layup.
Henderson made two free throws with 15.5 seconds to play as Charlotte regained a three-point lead. But Lowry made a 3-pointer to tie the game at 95 with 12.1 seconds left to force overtime.
The Raptors took a 10-point lead into the second half and stretched it to 16 slightly more than four minutes into the third quarter. But Tolliver cut the lead to six with a jump shot with 3:56 left in the quarter. Walker made a layup off a steal and converted the free throw to reduce the lead to three points. The Bobcats took a 67-66 lead on Jefferson's layup and free throw with 2:00 left. The third ended 70-70.
Salmons hit a pair of 3-points early in the second quarter to help the Raptors take an eight-point lead in the first three minutes. The Raptors led by as many as 12 points but settled for a 47-37 lead at the half after Walker beat the buzzer with a step-back jumper. The Bobcats led 18-15 after the first quarter.
NOTES: F Chuck Hayes was in uniform for the first time as a Raptor after completing baseline cardiac tests. He was one of four players acquired last week in a trade that sent three players, including F Rudy Gay, to the Sacramento Kings. ... Charlotte F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (left hand fracture) missed his seventh straight game on Wednesday and will stay in a cast until Dec. 27, when he will be re-evaluated. ... After a slow start to the season, Bobcats G Kemba Walker had averaged 20.4 points in eight games leading into Wednesday. He scored 24 in a 95-87 win over Sacramento on Tuesday. ... The Raptors will play five of their next six games on the road starting Friday in Dallas. ... The Bobcats visit the Detroit Pistons on Friday before playing the Utah Jazz on Saturday in the opener of a three-game homestand.
