Charlotte's Gerald Henderson missed a potential game-winning layup and the Los Angeles Lakers escaped with an 101-100 win against the Bobcats on Tuesday.
Bobcats vs. Lakers final score: Lakers survive, 101-100
The Lakers needed a fourth-quarter comeback and some luck at the end to escape with a win against the Bobcats.
Jeff Gross
Leading by one, Dwight Howard blocked Kemba Walker's shot but Henderson grabbed the rebound and went back up for a point-blank layup that just rolled off the rim. Charlotte had a third shot for the win but Ben Gordon missed on a three-point attempt and the Lakers survived.
While Kobe Bryant got the Lakers off to a strong start with 10 points in the first quarter, Los Angeles was forced to play catch-up most of the game. A big second quarter from former Laker Ramon Sessions gave Charlotte a 58-53 halftime lead. The Bobcats led 87-77 going into the fourth quarter, but Los Angeles wasted little time erasing the deficit.
The Lakers opened the final quarter with a 13-0 run to build a six-point lead, but were unable to maintain the momentum. Charlotte came back and the teams went back and forth down the stretch. Bryant missed a shot late, which gave the Bobcats the opportunity to win at the end.
Bryant finished with 30 points, his seventh straight game with at least 30. Howard scored 16 points to go along with 18 rebounds and four blocks. The Lakers also got key contributions from their bench with Metta World Peace and Jodie Meeks each scoring 17.
Walker scored 28 to lead the Bobcats while Byron Mullens matched Howard inside. Mullens finished with 13 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks.
With the win, the Lakers have now won three straight games while Charlotte just missed snapping its 12-game losing streak.
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