The Charlotte Bobcats posted a convincing 98-83 win over the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers to gain ground on a playoff spot on Friday.
The win moved the Bobcats (29-31) to within a game of the Miami Heat for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
Stephen Jackson led the Bobcats with 21 points, as Charlotte won for the first time in three games and handed the Lakers only their third back-to-back loss of the season.
“We played with confidence and we didn’t back down,” Jackson told reporters. “I think we were the more aggressive team tonight. I wish we could play against good teams like that every night, maybe we would bring the energy and the fire that we need. Tonight, we hit on all cylinders and we followed our game plan, and that’s why we got the win.”
The Bobcats’ bench scored 40 points, including 14 from recently acquired Tyrus Thomas and 12 from D.J. Augustin.
“He’s so long and athletic, and he cares about winning,” Bobcats coach Larry Brown said about Thomas. “He reminds me a lot of Gerald Wallace in terms of attitude — they both want to get better. That shot-blocking changes a lot of things. There aren’t as many easy shots, and we’re going after shots and that helps.”
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 26 points, but the Lakers struggled from the floor, hitting just 36 percent of their shots, including just three of 18 from three-point range.
Andrew Bynum had 14 points for the Lakers and Jordan Farmar had 12 off the bench. Starters Ron Artest and Derek Fisher combined for just five points.
Charlotte, now 21-8 at home, are one of just two teams with winning records against the Lakers and are now 7-2 in their all-time series. The Celtics are the other team with a winning record against Los Angeles.
“They play with a lot of energy. They play their game and we seem like we try to play their game, which they’re really good at,” the Lakers’ Pau Gasol said. “We are going away from our strengths, and we have no rhythm and no confidence in what we are doing out there.”
CAVALIERS 99, PISTONS 92
In Cleveland, Ohio, the hosts beat Detroit in a game that was delayed when Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey collapsed in the third quarter.
Stuckey was wheeled off the court on a stretcher after he collapsed and fell unconscious into the arms of a coach. Play was halted for 12 minutes as medical staff worked on him, placing an oxygen mask on his face and wheeling him into an ambulance.
Detroit said Stuckey was stable, conscious and breathing on his own, but would remain hospitalized overnight.
LeBron James had 40 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for the NBA-leading Cavaliers.
Tayshaun Prince had 23 points for Detroit, who lost their sixth straight game.
SPURS 102, HORNETS 91
In San Antonio, Texas, Tony Parker scored 20 points as the Spurs won their third straight game, beating New Orleans.
Manu Ginobili had 16 points for the Spurs, who extended their longest winning streak in nearly two months and swept the four-game season series from the Hornets.
Rookie Darren Collison had 32 points for New Orleans, including 16 in the fourth quarter, but the Hornets still dropped their fourth straight game, their longest skid of the season.
MAVERICKS 108, KINGS 100
In Dallas, the home team made it 10 straight wins by downing Sacramento.
Dirk Nowitzki had 31 points and 12 rebounds, while rookie Roddy Beaubois added a career-high 22 points. Beaubois went nine-for-14 from the field and three-for-six on three-pointers in 24-plus minutes, taking advantage of the absence of injured guard Jason Terry.
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