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Cavaliers defeat Bobcats, 100-98 (OT)
Drew Gooden scored nine of Cleveland's final 15 points, including seven in overtime, to help lift the Cavaliers to a 100-98 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night.
LeBron James scored 29 points and sparked Cleveland's rally from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to its fourth win in a row. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 22 points and Gooden 17 as the Cavaliers improved to 14-3 at home. Gerald Wallace and Primoz Brezec each scored 18 points for Charlotte, which has lost eight of nine. Former Cavaliers guard Brevin Knight had 15 points and tied a career high with 20 assists for the Bobcats. Gooden hit the final basket of regulation to tie it at 87. He then scored on a short jumper, a finger roll and converted a missed shot by James into a layup to help Cleveland go ahead 95-91 with 1:31 to play in overtime. He made one of two free throws with 7 seconds left to make it 98-95. Ilgauskas sank two more free throws with 5.4 to play. Keith Boguns, who scored 17 points, hit a 3-pointer for Charlotte to finish the scoring. Each team missed chances to win in the final five seconds of regulation. Jeff McInnis stripped the ball from Bogans, but misfired from the corner. Knight got the rebound, hustled up court and fed Boguns, who missed a 12-footer as the buzzer sounded and the teams went to overtime tied at 87. Coming off a 25-point rout of New York on Saturday, the Cavaliers never quite matched the energy of the young Bobcats until five minutes remained in regulation. James scored five points in a 32-second span to get Cleveland to 83-81 with 3:22 left in the fourth quarter. He hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3:54 left. After Gooden blocked a shot at the other end, James got the ball and drove through the Bobcats' defense, spinning his way to the hoop and sinking a left-handed layup. Knight hit two key baskets to help Charlotte maintain its slim lead and Wallace stuffed James' attempt inside with 42 seconds to play. Cleveland got the ball back and James fed Gooden for a layup that tied it at 87 with 33 seconds left. Eric Snow hit a 3-pointer as the first-half buzzer sounded to give Cleveland a 45-42 lead at the break. Wallace went up and over the Cleveland defense to convert three power slams and score 10 points in the third quarter to help Charlotte take a 74-64 lead. Emeka Okafor, the second pick in the 2004 draft, had six points and nine rebounds for Charlotte. . Cavs G Dajuan Wagner has been hospitalized since Sunday with an intestinal disorder. "They've taken a lot of tests, but we don't have the results," coach Paul Silas said. ... The Bobcats activated G-F Bernard Robinson, who had missed 25 games with left knee tendinitis, and put F Theron Smith on the injured list with right knee tendinitis. ... Charlotte is 0-11 on the road against Eastern Division teams and 1-15 overall. ... Ex-Cav Jason Kapono scored all 11 of his points in the first half.
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