Bobcats 102, Timberwolves 101
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Gerald Henderson hit a desperation 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds left as the Charlotte Bobcats snapped a 16-game home-court losing streak with a 102-101 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Henderson's desperate heave came as the shot clock was expiring. After a mad scramble in the Charlotte backcourt. Kemba Walker eventually tracked the ball down and fired it to Henderson, who dodged Minnesota's Andrei Kirilenko and nailed the 3-pointer.
The Timberwolves, who led by 18 at one point, couldn't get a shot off in the final 4.6 seconds.
The win moved the Bobcats to 11-32 and snapped a three-game losing streak. They had lost eight of their previous nine.
Walker led the Bobcats with 25 points. Ramon Sessions scored 23, Ben Gordon had 18, Henderson added 15 and Bismack Biyombo had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Minnesota (17-24) lost its fourth straight and seventh in a row on the road.
Luke Ridnour led the Timberwolves with 22 points. J.J. Barea scored 19, Ricky Rubio 14, Greg Stiemsma 11 and Kirilenko 10.
The Timberwolves had only 10 active players, playing without Chase Budinger, Kevin Love, Malcolm Lee, Nikola Pekovic, Brandon Roy and Alexey Shved. And Coach Rick Adelman missed his 11th straight game to be with his ailing wife.
The Timberwolves came out sizzling from the start, hitting 11 of their first 18 from the field and racing to a 29-11 lead. They went on to lead 34-22 after one quarter, with Ridnour (11) and Stiemsma (10) combining for 21 of the 34.
The Timberwolves went on to lead 58-47 at halftime, as both teams went with three-guard lineups much of the second quarter. Charlotte even used four guards together for a stretch.
Charlotte then whittled the margin to 77-73 after three quarters. The Bobcats took the lead at 81-79 and pulled out to a 91-83 lead on a three-point play by Bismack Biyombo with 7:17 left, but the Timberwolves reeled off seven straight points and eventually tied the score at 93-93 on a 3-pointer by Barea with 4:40 left.
Neither team led by more than three the rest of the way. Barea hit a 3-pointer with 1:11 left for a 97-97 tie, and after a rebound basket by Kirilenko, Biyombo scored inside to tie it 99-99 with 36.3 seconds left.
NOTES: The Bobcats won the previous meeting between the teams, 89-87, in Minneapolis on Nov. 14, when Walker hit a jumper with 0.7 seconds left. ... The Timberwolves were closing out a brief two-game road trip after losing at Washington 114-101 on Friday night. ... Minnesota's Chase Budinger missed his 35th straight game with a lateral meniscus tear. Love is expected to be sidelined eight to 10 weeks after surgery to repair the third and fourth metacarpals in his right hand. Roy missed his 36th straight game after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Pekovic missed his fifth straight game because of a right thigh contusion. Shved missed his fifth straight game with a sprained left ankle. Lee is out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his right knee on Jan. 14 and his right hip on Jan. 16. ... The Bobcats' last home win came Nov. 21 over Toronto. The NBA record for consecutive home losses is 19, set by the 1993-94 Dallas Mavericks. ... Byron Mullens missed his 16th straight game for the Bobcats with a sprained left ankle, and there is no timetable for his return. ... The Timberwolves will return home to face the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. ... The Bobcats closed out a four-game homestand Saturday night and will head out on a five-game trip, starting Monday at Chicago.
