Charlotte 101, Dallas 97
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte Bobcats are finally off the schneid.
The Bobcats rallied to beat the Mavericks 101-97 on Saturday night, gaining the first win over Dallas in the franchise's nine-year history after 16 straight previous losses.
The Bobcats rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit, got a driving layup from Ramon Sessions with 2.8 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, and then outscored the Mavs 10-6 in the extra session.
The Bobcats have now beaten every team in the NBA at least once in franchise history. It was also redemption after the Mavs won 126-99 in Dallas last Saturday.
Kemba Walker led the Bobcats with 26 points, and rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had a career-high 25 points and 12 rebounds. The Bobcats also got 12 points from Sessions and 11 from Ben Gordon.
O.J. Mayo led Dallas (4-3) with 22 points. Vince Carter scored 19, Darren Collison scored 14 and Elton Brand scored 10.
The Bobcats are now 2-3 and snapped a three-game losing streak.
The Bobcats took the lead for the first time in the second half at 85-84 with 2:31 left in regulation on a drive by Sessions, but Carter hit two free throws and a 3-pointer on Dallas' next two possessions for an 89-87 lead with 1:36 remaining.
Mayo then hit two free throws with 26.6 seconds left to push the lead to 91-87. But Brendan Hayward dunked with 22.9 seconds left, and then Sessions forced overtime with a drive with 2.8 seconds remaining. Carter missed at the regulation buzzer from 20 feet.
Charlotte pulled out to a 97-93 lead in the overtime as the Mavs went four straight possessions without scoring. Kidd-Gilchrist hit two free throws with 19.0 seconds for a 99-95 lead, then after Brand hit two free throws to cut the lead to two again, Sessions hit two free throws to push the lead back to 101-97 with 6.3 seconds left.
The Mavs led 55-44 at halftime.
The Bobcats jumped all over the Mavs at the start, racing to a 9-2 lead and pushing it up 13 points on two occasions. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle burned two timeouts and was so incensed that he benched all five starters for the rest of the quarter when the Charlotte lead reached 17-4 with 7:47 remaining. The Mavs' reserves then whittled the deficit to 24-21 at the end of the first quarter, closing the period with a 12-2 run.
Mayo then heated up in the second quarter, scoring 12 points as the Mavs outscored the Bobcats 34-20 in the period. Dallas took the lead at 25-24 and built it up to 11 in the final minute of the half.
The Mavs played without regulars Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion. Nowitzki, who is rehabbing after right knee surgery, and Marion, who has a sprained left MCL, did not accompany the team on this two-game trip. The Bobcats continue to be without Gerald Henderson, who is out at least another week with a left foot sprain.
The Mavs will return home to play Minnesota on Monday night, while the Bobcats will be off until Tuesday, when they will host Washington.
NOTES: The Bobcats had never hit the century mark in their previous 16 games against Dallas. ... The Bobcats were coming off a 107-99 loss at New Orleans on Friday night, despite getting 34 points from Gordon. That was a Bobcats franchise record for points by a reserve, but not close to his career high of 48 against Milwaukee while he was with Detroit in 2007. ... Brendan Haywood returned and was back in the starting lineup after missing Friday night's game to attend to a family matter. ... Walker was the Bobcats' leading scorer coming into the game at 17.0 points a game. He was second in the NBA in assist-turnover ratio at 5.5. ... Carter played despite suffering a hip injury on Friday in New York. ... Mayo led the Mavs in scoring at 21.8 coming into the game, good for seventh in the league. Mayo burned the Bobcats for 30 points when the Mavs won in Dallas 126-99 last Saturday. He had 23 to lead the Mavs in New York.
