Bobcats end Cavs’ run on Murray’s late 3
January 4, 2010
CLEVELAND (AP)—The road is suddenly becoming a friendly place for theCharlotte Bobcats.
Less than 24 hours after pulling off a surprising win at Miami, the Bobcatstopped that with a 91-88 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.
Ronald Murray hit a 3-pointer with 56 seconds left to put Charlotte up forgood, and the Bobcats shocked the Cavaliers, snapping Cleveland’s seven-game winstreak and an 11-game winning streak at home.
“We hung in and got a win on the road against a great team,” Charlottecoach Larry Brown said. “We’re all happy.”
Cleveland Cavaleiers forward L… AP – Jan 3, 9:17 pm EST Cleveland Cavaliers forward Le… AP – Jan 3, 9:17 pm EST
Cleveland Cavaliers center Sha… AP – Jan 3, 8:56 pm EST
Charlotte Bobcats' Ronald … AP – Jan 3, 8:49 pm EST
Charlotte Bobcats' Raymond… AP – Jan 3, 8:44 pm EST
Charlotte Bobcats' Stephen… AP – Jan 3, 8:44 pm EST
Cleveland Cavaliers' Delon… AP – Jan 3, 7:22 pm EST
Charlotte Bobcats' Gerald … AP – Jan 3, 7:18 pm EST
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Le… AP – Jan 3, 7:14 pm EST
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Murray’s basket from the top of the key broke an 83-all tie and capped anoutstanding effort for the Bobcats, who led for most of the second half.
“The shot clock was running down and I had a chance to go one-on-one,”Murray said. “I was able to knock it down. That was a momentum changer. It putthe pressure on them.”
Stephen Jackson’s(notes) two free throws with 2.5 seconds left again gave theBobcats a three-point lead, setting up one last chance for the Cavaliers. LeBronJames(notes), who scored 29 points, missed a potential tying 3-point attempt from theleft corner as time expired.
“I definitely felt like I had a good look at it,” James said of his shotthat hit the rim and bounced high in the air, setting off a celebration amongCharlotte’s players.
The Bobcats had one road victory all season going into Saturday night butused a 34-point fourth quarter in their 107-97 win over the Heat after trailingby 19 in the first quarter. Although Charlotte is only 3-14 away from home, theback-to-back wins are a sign of progress for a team trying to make the playoffsfor the first time.
“We haven’t been able to close out games,” Brown said. “We lost two gameson the road where we got bombed, other than that, we’ve been in most games,especially late. We just haven’t figured out a way to finish. Tonight wefinished. Last night we finished. It makes this trip phenomenal and we’ll enjoyanother plane ride.”
The victory was the Bobcats’ first at Quicken Loans Arena, where they hadlost 10 straight. Charlotte has won two of three against Cleveland this season,including a 94-87 win at home on Nov. 27.
“I’m happy because this is definitely one of the best teams in the East,”said Jackson, who led the Bobcats with 22 points. “To be able to beat themtwice out of three games shows we can play with anybody, we just have to be moreconsistent.”
James isn’t surprised the Bobcats have played well against the Cavaliers.
“Honestly, it’s a really talented team,” he said. “They have some reallygood pieces and they match up well with us. They play us tough every time.”
Gerald Wallace(notes) added 19 points and Raymond Felton(notes) had 17 for Charlotte.
Mo Williams(notes) scored 27 for the Cavaliers, but Shaquille O’Neal(notes) was the onlyother Cleveland player in double figures with 10.
The Cavaliers hadn’t lost at home since Nov. 5, when they dropped an 86-85decision to Chicago.
Leading 70-69 after three quarters, the Bobcats opened the fourth with a 7-1run capped by D.J. Augustin’s(notes) 3-pointer, which gave Charlotte a 77-70 lead.Cleveland battled back and James split a pair of free throws to tie the game at83 with 1:16 left.
The Cavaliers built a nine-point lead in the second quarter, but the Bobcatschipped away and eventually took a one-point lead late in the period onJackson’s 3-pointer. A basket by Williams, who scored 15 points in the half,including three 3-pointers, gave Cleveland a 46-45 lead at the break.
James, who picked up his third foul early in the third quarter, scored 13points in the period. He played the entire second half, despite the fact theCavaliers played Saturday in New Jersey. James was 13 of 21 from the field andhad seven rebounds and six assists.
NOTES: The Bobcats have more losses in Cleveland than any other NBA city …Charlotte returns home to face Chicago on Tuesday. The Bobcats are 11-4 on theirhome court. … Cleveland hasn’t allowed an opponent to shoot 50 percent fromthe field in 25 games. … The Cavaliers don’t play again until Wednesday whenthey host Washington before starting a five-game road trip.
